November 2009 Archives

My blog — that's the thing you're reading right now — has become an important tool for my job as Grainews editor. I can post a question, and I'll usually get a few good responses from readers like you. I can then use these responses to form articles in upcoming Grainews issues. For example, a couple weeks ago I asked whether anyone had heard of farmers using grain vacs to fill bins. Turns out Jason Finnie from Portage la Prairie, Man., uses a Thor Conveyair (now owned by Buhler Farm King) grain vac to blow wheat or oats into the top of his 90-foot Harvestore silo — which he now uses a massive grain bin. Look for an article about this in early 2010.

Last week I wrote about the Cross Slot opener from New Zealand. In response 

to that blog, someone sent me the name of a farmer from Alberta who has a drill equipped with these openers. I asked Scott Garvey to follow up. That article will also appear in Grainews in early 2010.

In time, I believe blogs will become more and more important for conveying farm news and for improving the way I and other farm writers respond to farmer comments and pressing farm issues.

Other blogs

Many other leading farm journalists from around the world have blogs. Mike Wilson (see photo), president of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and executive editor of Farm Futures magazine, based in Decatur, Illinois, will be adding my blog to the IFAJ list. His blog is also on the list.

Mike is a great guy. I reconnected with him at the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation conference in Edmonton in September. Before that, he and I spent a week together in Germany in 2003 on a tour of Claas's combine facility and a bunch of interesting farm stops. He was back in Germany in November for Agritechnica. Click here to read his report. If you follow blogs that you think other farmers would be interested in, email me and I'll share the links.

It's interesting how seeding systems evolve differently in other parts of the world. Most air seeders built in Western Canada, regardless of brand, are variations of a common style. European seeding tools look nothing like ours. The corn-soy belt relies on planters with systems for seed singulation that just aren't available on our small-grain seeders. And then there's the Cross Slot direct-seeding opener from New Zealand, which puts seed and fertilizer on the same plane but in separated bands, or slots. See the image. This idea has been around for 30 years or so, but hasn't caught on here — even though it seems well suited.

I read about the Cross Slot system in May 2009 "Innovator" newsletter from Alberta's AgTech Centre. In the article, AgTech manager Lawrence Papworth says Cross Slot openers are worth keeping an eye on. “Cross Slot openers replace residue over the slot and trap moisture in the slot. This helps assist germination even in very dry soils,” he says. “I have heard great things about the technology and am not sure why it hasn’t caught on.”

I went to the company website to find out more. Here are two questions and answers from the FAQ booklet, which you can download from the site:

Question: What is the significance of Cross Slot creating horizontal slots?

Answer: Vertical, and even slanted slots are very difficult to close, especially in damp soils. With horizontal slots the seed is tucked under a horizontal flap of soil at the time that the slot is created, ensuring the seed is always covered.

Question: Do horizontal slots have any other advantages?

Answer: Yes, several. They ensure that the seed micro-environment can be controlled almost regardless of soil conditions, and they permit fertilizer to be placed in bands that are separated horizontally from the seed.

By the looks of it, the opener units can mount on pretty much any toolbar, including large Prairie-sized air delivery systems. The company has tried selling these in Canada, but I haven't found anyone who has one. Do you know of anyone? Please email and let me know.

Dwayne Beck, manager of Dakota Lakes Research Farm in South Dakota, alerted me to a CBC program that will air this Thursday and Friday evenings. The one-hour documentary is called "Carbon Hunters" and it's the work of Vancouver journalist Miro Cernetig. Times are Thursday at 8 p.m. on CBC-TV and repeating Friday at 10 p.m. on CBC News Network. If you miss those times, CBC often posts its programs online to view anytime after they've aired on the network.

Dwayne provided a lot of good information for my December Grainews column, which you'll receive in mailboxes in two weeks or so. He's been following the carbon issue for 20 years. Carbon trading and getting money to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will become part of your farm business. If you live in Alberta, the only regulated market in North America, it already is for many of you — and will become evermore so.

Dwayne's carbon colleagues recommended he watch the show. He passed this recommendation on to me. I'm passing it along to you. I expect it will answer some of the questions you have about carbon, and prime you to follow this issue more closely if you are not already. No matter your opinion on global warming, farmers are in a position to earn real cash through initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You'll want to pay attention to these programs as they roll out.

Here's an excerpt from the promo article at the CBC website:

Carbon Hunters delves into the controversial, little-understood, yet booming industry of carbon credit trading as a potentially workable mechanism towards solving what most people now acknowledge as the greatest crisis facing the planet: global warming.

This is a crisis with no easy solutions. Voters so far seem reluctant to accept carbon taxes so, while we wait for industry and governments to sign on to binding international agreements that will fix limits on air pollution, one possible solution is good to go right now: carbon trading.

Sometimes called emissions trading, carbon offset, or cap-and-trade, carbon trading is attractive to many because it is a market-driven solution that puts a fixed price on pollution, allowing those who pollute to pay and those do not pollute to profit from their position.

Jerry Stoller, head of Stoller USA, spoke at Agri-Trend's Farm Forum conference yesterday — as he's been doing for years. But this is the first time I'd heard him. Stoller's company develops and sells plant hormones that, in simple terms, keep plant roots growing strong all through the growing season, prevent plants from dying prematurely, and encourage plants to grow shorter and put more of that energy into seed yield. At least those are the claims.

Stoller admits in the opening of his presentation that many people in the plant science community oppose his thinking. But he's determined that these products work. "We're never going to progress unless we challenge what we've been taught," he says.

Plant hormone products are regulated in Canada under the same rules that guide fertilizer products. Stoller USA hasn't done the research required to get their products registered up here, so Canadian farmers don't have access to Stoller hormones. I'll be looking into this more. I'd like to hear from plant scientists who have studied plant hormones and whether we can use hormone products to promote certain plant activities to our benefit. Menopausal women take hormones. So do feedlot cattle. Is this something crop producers can benefit from, especially if it improves nutrient uptake efficiency and boosts yield. Please email me with your comments.

Grainews has a new Agriventure traveler reporting on her overseas work placement. Her name is Allana Minchau. She's 21 and from a cow-calf ranch in Alberta. She got a communication-public relations degree in July 2009, and before starting a career, she decided to take a 12-month working Agriventure through the International Agriculture Exchange Association (IAEA). Her first six months are at a large dairy near Culverden, New Zealand. She will provide regular reports in Grainews.

Here is her first installment:

I have officially experienced my first month of New Zealand. Agriventure has already allowed me to see the country, meet new people, and experience the agriculture practices of New Zealand. 

Through Agriventure I was placed with Emlyn and Hilary Francis on their dairy farm, Kenmare Dairy. I quickly learned that early mornings are a milking practice all around the world! 

At the dairy we milk around 1,000 cows twice a day on an 80-cow rotating platform. I had never seen a milking parlour that had so much technology incorporated into it. There are generally two people milking while one is bringing in the cows. Right now we milk around 10 cows a minute, and as the year continues we will get up to around 12 cows a minute. On my own I can currently only milk about 7.5 cows a minute, but as they say practice makes perfect!

The milk is picked up every morning and goes to Fonterra Co-op, which Emlyn and Hilary have shares in. The afternoon milk is held overnight until the milk truck comes the next day after the first milking. 

It takes numerous employees to keep production running smoothly. There are currently six employees at the dairy that work on an 11-days-on, three-days-off roster. 

At Kenmare Dairy, we attach cows to milkers by taking the first two cups in one hand to place on the front two teats, which we follow up by singly place the remaining two cups on the back teats. It makes the milking quicker and more efficient. 

Although our farming practices differ at home, the ones they use here that I have seen are practical and efficient for New Zealand. Overall it has been a very positive experience to this point and I look forward to going into further detail with you about the farming practices of New Zealand. 

I got a notice this month that Brandt has a new high capacity Grain Vac. Model 7500 HP can move 8,000 bushels of wheat per hour at “full bin capacity,” which means when using just 3.5 feet of straight hose plus the nozzle. Capacity of a 10-inch swing auger is 5,000 to 6,000 bushels per hour, says Jason Bouchard of Brandt Agricultural Products.

It got me wondering whether anyone has perfected a way to use a Grain Vac to fill a bin. That way you could completely replace an auger with a vac. Bouchard says Brandt has not developed anything like this and as far as he knows “there is nothing out there that can do this.”

I put the question to you. Do you know of any company or mechanically-inclined farmer who has figured out a way to use a grain vac — any brand — to fill a bin? Please email me if you can help.

More about Grain Vac 7500 HP

List price for Model 7500 HP is Can$29,800. It achieves maximum grain movement with 120 horsepower. “This allows growers to match the 7500 HP with popular mid-sized tractors,” the company says.

With “exclusive cone separator technology,” the Grain Vac uses no moving parts to direct the grain into the auger or air into the fan. And you don’ t have to make any adjustments crop to crop. Brandt says the centrifugal fan design has a much lower replacement cost than blower style pumps. And the double blade fan “lasts twice as long as previous design.”

Agriculture is the single biggest human-influenced contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. And as more and more countries — the U.S. and Canada included — bring forth bills to regulate emissions, farmers will be asked to do their part.

On Friday, I talked with Sara Scherr, president of Ecoagriculture Partners in the U.S. She says, “I don’t think we can have a meaningful response to climate change without contribution from agriculture."

        An Ecoagriculture report (EP Policy Focus, Agriculture & Climate Change, Aug 2009.pdf) says more than 30 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions arise from the land use sector. The biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions from land use come from deforestation, fertilizer use and digestion by ruminant livestock. The box on the left comes from that report. Click on the box to enlarge the numbers. 

Scherr says the best ways for farmers to reduce emissions is through reduced tillage, perennial crops, and livestock management — reduce methane discharge from animals and capture biogas from manure stores.

The U.S. is working on a bill for regulating greenhouse gas reductions, and it will include incentives for farmers. “I don’t think the U.S. can pass a climate bill that does not have benefits to farmers,” Scherr says.

In Canada, we will also get a national regulated program eventually. For now, Alberta is the only jurisdiction in North America with emissions regulations. Alberta is doing the groundwork for the whole continent, testing agriculture emissions-reduction protocols that could work elsewhere. The province has a new protocol in the works so farmers can get credits for reduced fertilizer use, encouraging spring application and soil banding to reduce losses. It may be in place for spring 2010.

        If you want info from the U.K., I have a PDF brochure from the U.K.'s Department of Environment, Farm and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) with case studies of farmers and their steps to reduce emissions. Email me if you want a copy. 

Regardless of your opinion on climate change, get used to the idea of more regulations on carbon, nitrous oxides and methane emissions. The good news, at least for the near term, is that policies are likely provide farmers with financial compensation for any emissions cuts you achieve.

Richard Weetman farms north of Swift Current, Sask., and twice in the past he has stored tough wheat (17 to 18 per cent moisture) all winter, then dried it in the spring when the temperatures got warm again. That’s not an issue for him this year — he got all his crops off dry — but he wanted to share this information with anyone who still has crops to harvest.

They key steps, Richard says, are to make sure the grain is frozen heading into winter and to make sure you don’t start thawing it out too early in the spring.

As you know, aeration doesn’t dry grain very quickly — if at all — in cold temperatures. So this time of year, you run the fans just to cool the grain off. Then when it gets down to minus 10°C at night, turn the fans on again to freeze the grain solid, Richard says.

You want to make sure you have enough horsepower in your fan to suit the amount of grain. Richard went to the Edwards Grain Guard site and read that you need one hp per 1,000 bushels of capacity. (Click here to read Grain Guard’s “3 keys to success” for aerating and drying grain.) Richard has three-hp fans on his 3,500-bushel bins, so he’s close.

Then in spring, you want to make sure days and nights are fairly warm before you thaw the grain and start the drying process. “You’ve got a window almost until seeding to do it,” he says.

Have you ever done this? Have you got more tips on this specific practice or on air drying in general that you’d like to share? Please email me and I’ll post your tips on the blog. 

Darald Marin from Saskatchewan emailed to ask if flax harvested now will respond the same as canola in a "tough" condition? "We haven't done any harvesting during October, but hopefully we can go this week at 12.5 or less," he says. "We will try to dry down in a batch recirculating dryer, but if we have too much over 10.0 per cent, some may have to overwinter."

Venkata Vakulabharanam is the oilseed specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. He reminds flax growers that they may have a hard time getting standing flax — especially tough flax — through the combine this time of year. "I highly recommend you swath the crop in the fall, even if you can't combine until spring." That will give green stalks time to soften up.

Venkata says that while farmers are more likely to leave flax to overwinter than leave canola, flax will continue to lose quality through the fall, winter and spring freeze-thaw cycles. The kernels get darker with each freeze-thaw, and the food market does not like these dark kernels. For the sake of preserving what quality you have left, you are "best to get it off" in the fall, he says.

For drying and storage of tough flax, Venkata provides this link to a North Dakota State University web page. 

If you have tips for combining, storing and drying tough flax, please email me. I'll share them with other readers.

Get your flax tested for Triffid

Discovery of a trace amount of the GM flax variety Triffid in a shipment to Europe has shut off the major market for Canadian flax. The Flax Council of Canada issued the following notice on its website October 30:

Message to Producers: The discovery of Triffid in the Canadian flax seed crop this past summer has been devastating to the Canadian industry as well as to our long time customers in the EU. If the Canadian flax industry is to survive and once again prosper, every conceivable effort must be made to locate and eradicate all sources of this contamination.

This will be the first of a series of messages to producers to assist them in working with the industry to solve this problem.

        The first step will be to ensure that you take and keep a representative sample of your flax crop as it goes into each storage bin. We recommend you follow grain company suggested sampling methods for both binning and binned grain. Also, the following link will provide you with information from the Canadian Grain Commission on taking a representative sample of flax:

http://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/guides-guides/rs-er/trs-per-eng.htm.

In the next few days, we will be providing you with instructions as to how and where you can get your samples tested to determine whether or not it may be positive for Triffid. If you discover you have Triffid in your flax, please understand the industry is committed to assisting you in moving this seed into a market that will accept it without penalty.

The farm community and the trade need to work together to ensure once and for all that Triffid does not reappear in Canadian flax shipments.

Creating a strategic business plan is time well spend for a farm family. Writing out your goals and plans using a formal business plan template forces you to take a hard look at your current business model and how it must change to keep with the times and — if all goes well — to grow. With a plan, your family can communicate — with each other and with the banker — what you want to achieve and the most efficient way to get there. 

But I'm torn. Does a business plan take all the fun and spontaneity out of farming?

At my great uncle's funeral in October, one of my cousins told me that "the adventure had gone out of farming." He then told the story about how his grandfather and my grandfather — brothers — drove four teams of horses on a three day journey to get hay. Drought had left them desperate for winter feed. Each brother had two teams, one in the lead and the other following driverless in tandem. They slept with the horses, probably beside a slough somewhere. Eighty years later, this story has become family folklore.

Farmers don't experience that kind of adventure anymore, my cousin said. I'm not sure that kind of adventure would be any "fun," but I see his point. Are we so obsessed with the "business plan" that the pleasure of farm life has been diluted?

The ideal is to improve the business and provide time for adventure at the same time. Your business goals and lifestyle goals should be in balance. Just because you LIVE on the farm doesn't mean you have to spend every hour of day farming. No other working person does that. Think about this: Maybe taking time to strategize actually gives you more time for fun. 

I'd like to hear your thoughts on business plans (do you have one, why or why not?) and adventure in farming (have you had an adventure recently?). Please email me. I'll post them on an upcoming blog.

Leo Jeanneau from Prud'homme, Sask., adds to the discussion from last week about GPS guidance in hilly land. He writes:

I have used three different types of GPS systems, one with a light bar only and two with autosteer. They are from three different brand and of different ages.

I have some hilly land and cannot believe how well our most recent unit compensates for the hills. (It’s Outback brand.) From what I have been told, the autosteer has gyros that measure tilt and yaw of the tractor and the computer is pretty good at determining how far left or right to adjust the placement of the tractor to allow for the air drill to hit the mark forth and back and forth. Not all units have the same quality of gyro sensor, some use two gyros, some use three. My theory is that the bigger and heavier the little black box that houses the tilt compensating components, the better. (Old school theory… I know.)

Not all auto steers are equal. Talk to neighbours who have hills and a GPS with a good tilt compensating autosteer. They might just make a believer out of you.