big canola crop OUT HERE, HOMECOMING Crushers and HAS A exporters happy DIFFERENT » PAGE 23 MEANING. Livestock checklist now available in-store and at UFA.com. Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240 110201353_BTH_Earlug_AFE_v1.indd 1 2013-09-16 4:46 PM Client: UFA . Desiree File Name: BTH_Earlug_AFE_v1 Project Name: BTH Campaign CMYK PMS ART DIR CREATIVE CLIENT MAC ARTIST V1 Docket Number: 110201353 . 09/16/13 STUDIO Trim size: 3.08” x 1.83” PMS PMS COPYWRITER ACCT MGR SPELLCHECK PROD MGR PROOF # Volume 10, number 20 s e p tember 30, 2013 cWb unveils plan to raise new equity CWB says it will develop a network of grain handling assets (elevators) across Western Canada By AllAn DAwson staff / winnipeg estern Canadian farm- ers will get $5 of equity W in a privatized CwB for The Waldron Ranch stretches along the eastern slopes of the Rockies and supports both wildlife and 11,000 head of cattle. Photo: Kyle Marquardt every tonne sold to the CwB this crop year. the offer was recently posted on CwB’s website, gord flaten, CwB’s vice-president for grain procurement, said in an inter- Historic conservation view. Details were issued to grain companies sept. 19 and informa- tion is also being sent directly to farmers. “this is a unique way for farm- ers to own a piece of the value agreement reached chain,” flaten said. “farmers do not have to write a cheque to pay for the opportunity. it really is cost-free for the farmers who are going to own that equity. i for Waldron ranch think that’s an attractive part of the plan.” Largest conservation agreement in Canadian history protects nearly flaten said the privatized CwB will develop “a network of grain 31,000 acres from cultivation, subdivision and development handling assets (elevators) across western Canada,” but the struc- ture of the new company will be tion easement for $37.5 million from the the Last five Miles, a small ecosystem announced later. By Jennifer BlAir co-op, protecting nearly 31,000 acres from stretching along the eastern slopes of “the concept is that farmers af staff / reD Deer cultivation, subdivision, and develop- the rocky Mountains that supports both would own a piece of the com- ment. it’s the largest conservation agree- wildlife and the 11,000 head of cattle that pany,” flaten said. “we expect piece of alberta’s prime grazing ment in Canadian history. graze there. them to be a minority owners, lands may be preserved forever “as a conservation organization, we try through the agreement with the wal- but they would own an important A thanks to a historic conservation to conserve places that have high con- dron grazing Co-operative, the conser- portion of it. agreement between the nature Conser- servation value,” said Larry simpson, the vancy hopes to preserve the last remaining “the farmer-ownership piece vancy of Canada and the waldron grazing conservancy’s associate regional vice- stand of the northern great plains from is something we decided really Co-operative. president. “the waldron certainly fits that further development. needs to be rolled out operationally Once finalized, the agreement will allow description.” the conservancy to purchase a conserva- the waldron is in an area known as see wAlDron } page 6 see CwB } page 7 Clean up your stubble. 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Call 1.800.667.3852 or visit cerealsolutions.ca. or an affiliated company of Dow. 0813-21799 21799 AFE 10.25X3.indd 1 13-08-13 10:46 AM 2 newS » inSide thiS week sepTeMber 30, 2013 • alberTAFARMeXPRESs.Ca inside » livestock crops columnists plenty of Cheap Can be making Corn daniel bezte Competition expensive bee-safe why The Colorado rain sTayed souTh Canada wheat vies 14 for market share 26 brenda schoepp Think long TerM when (h)en-riChed feeding Cattle 34 experienCe bernie peet Manitoba farmers also replaCeMenT rule of changing cages aard sheep specialist bayer develops new 15 says rations important 33 seed lubricant 17 ThuMb May noT hold 35 ‘Ig Nobel’ prize for Modern farmer British livestock finds success with researchers stAff heritage grains t is now scientifically prov- en. the longer a cow has Cutting out the middleman creates opportunity for small grain farmer I been lying down, the more likely that she will soon stand up. and once a cow stands up, you cannot easily predict how By Alexis Kienlen soon she will lie down again. af staff / morinville five British researchers who reached that conclusion hen John schneider got the urge were among this year’s win- to farm, he figured livestock would ners of the “ig nobel” prize, W be a good fit for a small acreage but a humorous take-off on the the economies of scale worked against him. better-known nobel version. then he discovered heritage grains. “improbable research,” “i think that’s the key to being successful sponsor of the event, says in small agriculture — it’s just to create a the ig nobel Prizes honour niche for yourself and do something differ- achievements that first make ent,” said schneider, who farms with wife people laugh, and then Cindy and their two children on 400 acres make them think. according near morinville. to its website, “the prizes schneider is a sixth-generation farmer are intended to celebrate the who didn’t realize he wanted to farm until unusual, honour the imagi- his father sold the land. so the construction native — and spur people’s industry executive bought some land, and in interest in science, medi- 2000 started farming on the side, trying his cine, and technology.” hand at sheep, pigs, pastured poultry and every year, in a gala cere- beef cattle. He started Gold forest Grains in mony, the prizes are handed 2007, which allowed him to farm full time. out by real nobel laure- He grows up to 10 crops at a time, and is cur- ates. they are sometimes rently growing spelt, rye and three heritage awarded for tongue-in-cheek wheats: Park, red fife, and einkorn on his John Schneider holds spelt and einkorn on his farm near Morinville. PHOTos: aleXis kienlen research, but others are for organic operation. spinoffs from more serious Heritage varieties present numerous “What we soon discovered was that we research. challenges — they take longer to mature had to eliminate as many middle men as other winners this year: (although schneider said that’s not a prob- we could,” he said. • A study that found that lem as frost seem to come later these days), “instead of selling a bushel of wheat for people consider them- don’t do well under weed pressure, and grow whatever it’s going for, six or seven dollars selves more attractive after taller, which makes them more susceptible a bushel, we sell it for $113 a bushel. By drinking. to lodging (intercropping is used to combat the time we mill it into flour and sell it at • A study that showed dung this problem). the farmers’ market, it’s worth that much.” beetles navigate using the the couple sell flours, cracked grain milky Way. Spelt a challenge cereal and pancake mixes, as well as whole • A design for an device to But it’s spelt, which was grown by the grain kernels for people who do their own trap airline hijackers and ancient romans, that really tests schneider’s milling. the grain is cleaned and bagged at eject them by parachute. farming skills. the morinville seed cleaning plant, placed • Proving that people could “We’ve done it for a couple of years and in storage, and milled as needed using one run across the surface of the seed germination is hard for us, so we’re of the couple’s three stone mills. they sell a pond — if it were on the working on that problem,” he said. at the old strathcona and st. albert farm- moon. spelt is a hulled grain, so it doesn’t go ers’ markets, as well as some edmonton- • Discovery that the bio- through a seed drill very easily. area retailers. chemical process by which “for some of these grains, you need to many of his customers are sensitive to onions make people cry relearn how to deal with them,” he said. gluten, said schneider. is even more complicated einkorn is low yielding, but quite rare and “We have many customers that come up than scientists previously so commands a substantial premium. Park to us and say, ‘i can’t eat wheat, but i can realized. wheat, developed in alberta and grown in eat your wheat,’” he said. “there seems to • Determining which bones the 1950s, is an early-maturing variety while be something to that.” of a shrew would dissolve red fife is prized, in part, because its taste schneider credits his farming blog, which inside the human diges- varies yearly, reflecting both that season’s he started in 2006, as another key to the tive system. growing conditions and the local environ- farm’s success. • Surgical management ment. Both are excellent for baking. “i got lucky because social media became of an epidemic of penile as an organic farmer, schneider uses com- mainstream marketing,” he said. “When i amputations in siam, panion planting, crop rotations, intercrop- started blogging, there was no such thing except in cases where ping, summerfallow, and green manure as as social media.