So where do we go following the COOL ruling, and what approach do we take as an industry towards a diplomatic solution? I spoke to John Masswohl, the Director of Government and International Relations for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association at NCBA 2012 about the ruling and where we go from here.

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At this years FarmTech Conference, Glen Hodgson, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist with the Conference Board of Canada spoke about the risks and the opportunities in the global economy and provided a Canadian economic outlook for 2012. I asked him about the effect of the European financial crisis on Canadian farmers and if agriculture would be insulated from the effects of European recession.

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For farmers, the playbook has some definite benefits if you are already a Blackberry user.  Whether you like the idea of tethering or not, the ability to create your own hotspot does have some advantages in the middle of a field in the middle of Ohio or Saskatchewan.

In episode 11 of AgNerds, Peter Gredig and I discuss some of the reasons that the Blackberry Playbook may have a second life. Peter believes that if given a real chance the Playbook has advantages and features that are better than the ipad while I think its the high level of corporate security and the $200 price point that is creating new interest. One thing Peter and I do agree on is that the tethering is overrated by many buyers.

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by Kent Erickson and Lynn Jacobson

In the past 150 years, wheat has played a significant role in the settlement of the Canadian prairies and the development of Western Canadian agriculture. Canada became the “bread basket of the world” because of the quality and quantity of wheat it supplied to countries around the globe.

In more recent years, Western Canadian wheat producers have struggled to compete with other crops and wheat-producing countries. Although wheat remains one of Canada’s most important cereal crops, new varieties and traits are needed to make it a sustainable and profitable crop option for prairie producers.

In Alberta, we’ve felt for some time that wheat producers need to have a stronger voice and more concerted industry focus. In 2008, the Alberta Winter Wheat Producers resolved to study the viability of an all-wheat commission in Alberta. For all wheat’s prominence in Alberta, only two small classes (winter wheat and soft white wheat, which account for just five per cent of the province’s entire wheat production) have been represented by a producer-run commission.

After market research found considerable support for the notion of a new all-wheat commission for all nine classes of Western Canadian wheat (Red Spring, Red Winter, Extra Strong, CPS Red, CPS White, Amber Durum, Soft White Spring, Hard White Spring and General Purpose), a producer-led steering committee was formed.

For the past year, we’ve been part of working to form the Alberta Wheat Commission. The commission would have one primary objective: to improve farm gate returns on wheat. It would also be committed to working collaboratively with all participants in wheat’s value chain.

Our steering committee has developed a strategic plan to realize these goals. The plan currently calls for the new commission to begin operating on Aug. 1, 2012, and to generate the majority of its revenue through a check-off fee (service charge) of $0.70/tonne on all classes of wheat produced in Alberta. Check-off dollars will be deducted from producer payments at the point of sale.

Of the estimated $3.5 million that would be raised through check-off dollars each year, a direct investment of $3 million would be made annually into research and market development and pursuing partnerships that leverage this investment into projects worth millions of dollars more.

In March, our steering committee will wrap up the many meetings and consultations we’ve been having with Alberta wheat producers about the commission’s plans. To date, the response has been very supportive, with more than 80 per cent of producers saying they favour forming the Commission.

This support is crucial for two reasons: to gain legislative approval from the Province of Alberta to form the commission; and to demonstrate that farmers are willing to invest in their industry.

With so many changes on the horizon for Western Canadian wheat, we see the Alberta Wheat Commission as one way for our province’s wheat producers to be better able to respond to the opportunities and demands of domestic and international markets and users.

It is also a way to ensure wheat continues to play an important role in Western Canadian agriculture.

Kent Erickson and Lynn Jacobson are co-chairs of the Alberta All-Wheat Commission Steering Committee.  

In this episode of the AMI Farm Business E-Team Video series, we take a look at those fundamental aspects of human resource management with help from Gary Mawhiney of Ag HR Solutions. We also get to see those principals at work as we look at human resource management from the perspective of winery owner Trevor Falk who has taken those basics and adapted them to fit his business needs.

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We spoke to Peter at the about the benefits of red clover and how the crop is gaining a permanent place in rotation with producers to maximize wheat yields.  Peter say that the old tale of great red clover crop means low wheat yields is definitely not true.  In fact Peter says that using red clover as a cover crop raises wheat yields up to 30%.  That’s a return that will get your attention.

SEE MORE WHEAT SCHOOL EPISODES.

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One of those areas that is developing it’s potential is Ukraine. It has the largest agricultural land base in Europe and is one of the worlds largest exporters of ag commodities and still has 15 to 20 percent of that land yet to be developed.

The structure under which that development occurs is corporate rather than individual. Corporate rights are purchased from Agro Companies that rent the land to farm. The race to gather large pods of land is a very aggressive game of capitalism.  Those smaller companies in turn are bought up by larger holding companies who handle the selling and marketing. One of those companies is Harmelia Holdings.

SEE MORE FARMTECH 2012 COVERAGE.

John Shmorhun is CEO of Harmelia Holdings. John spoke at FarmTech 2012 about the opportunities for the Ukraine on the world agriculture stage. I talked to him about some of those opportunities and the challenges that go along with farming in Ukraine at FarmTech 2012 in Edmonton, Alberta.  I think that you find the conversation with John quite interesting.

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With over 200 days of travel as the President of NCBA, Bill Donald has been busy.  Donald has reign at the top of NCBA at a time that has been very good for Canada / United States trade relations.   With Canada shipping fat cattle south and Canada purchasing one billion dollars of US beef in 2011, the relationship appears to be very strong.

As a Montana rancher, Bill Donald understands how critically important the relationship of Canada and the US is for producers in both countries.  When Bill Donald was became President of the NCBA a year ago there was some concern over his history with R-Calf but that seems to be all water under the bridge at this point.

I asked Bill Donald about his term of President of NCBA and why he thinks the relationship between Canada and the US is so important to the cattle industry.

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According to OMAFRA’s research “the old rules” still apply.

The first is that phosphate, the main nutrient in most starters, reacts very quickly with soil minerals to form insoluble compounds. When the fertilizer is placed in a band, the concentration of the phosphorus is greater than the capacity of the soil to tie it up, so more remains available to the plants. The second reason is that crops in the grass family, like corn, have a high demand for phosphorus as seedlings. Dr. Murray Miller showed that the concentration of phosphorus had to reach 0.5% in five-leaf corn, or the yield potential of that plant was reduced. For a corn seedling with a small root system to meet this phosphorus requirement, there has to be a concentrated source of phosphorus close to the seed.

Get more information on OMAFRA’s starter fertilizer research

Whether you are using dry or liquid starter fertilizer the benefits are real based on OMAFRA’s research. Greg Stewart, OMAFRA does a great job of bringing the facts and data to light.

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What makes James’ business so unique is that he custom farms with a twist.  James has land owners pay him to farm the land so that the land owner retains his farm status.  The land owner finances all of the inputs because the land owner has the equity in the land.  The land owner holds the inventory on his balance sheet while James is responsible for the marketing of the crop.  James and the land owner split the profit 50/50.  James can expand his farm because he is not tying up capital and the land owner makes a profit while retaining their farmer status.  James says that everyone wins.

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