Rely on the unrivalled BREEDING standability of Proven Seed BIG BIRDS Just how did today’s poultry become so large? » PG 3 Learn more at provenseed.ca or ask your CPS retailer Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 22 OCTOBER 27, 2014 High costs slowing cattle herd Big shows offer a expansion Canada’s beef cattle industry is poised for chance to reconnect expansion, but will high capital costs cause Every year, Alberta’s farm shows attract hundreds of thousands of visitors — delays? and socializing remains the major draw BY JENNIFER BLAIR AF STAFF trong prices are signalling that it’s time to start retain- S ing heifers and build the herd — but rising capital costs could cause some producers to hold off. “There’s lots of opportunities, but it’s costly,” said Rick Dehod, farm financial specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. A decade of pain and low prices means many producers have other priorities than expanding at the moment, he said. “A lot of those ladies and gentlemen for the last 13 years have kept their cost of produc- tion down, and they’ve really managed their farms well and survived,” he said. “But they’re behind on some of their working capital and some of the things that need to be done. “I’m sure they’re going to take their profit and meet some per- sonal goals and some farm goals prior to keeping those cows back.” That’s the plan on Jake Meyer’s farm south of Lethbridge. SEE HIGH COSTS page 7 The cattle on show are only one of the attractions at Farmfair International. PHOTO: FARMFAIR Before there were gest running — farm shows. With nearly BY JENNIFER BLAIR 300 exhibitors and 90,000 visitors over the smartphones, Twitter AF STAFF week-long show, Farmfair attracts farmers and Facebook, farmers from across the country who come to talk nd that’s still what keeps ’em coming shop about beef. perfected the art of social back for Alberta’s two biggest farm “It’s where the beef industry comes to networking the good old- A shows. meet,” said Fiddler. “It’s the largest beef “For agricultural folk, whenever they event in Alberta, and that is the major fashioned way — face to face gather, networking is a major component draw.” of what they do,” said Dave Fiddler, show Over the years, Farmfair has added equine at meetings, trade shows, manager for Farmfair International. events and sales, entertainment, and com- and conferences during the The Edmonton event has grown from petitions to appeal to a broader audience humble beginnings 41 years ago into one busy winter season. of Western Canada’s largest — and lon- SEE BIG SHOWS page 6 CENTURY OF SOLUTIONS AG SCHOOL SAVOURS ITS SUCCESSES PAGE 2 2 NEWS » INSIDE THIS WEEK OCTOBER 27, 2014 • ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA INSIDE » LIVESTOCK CROPS COLUMNISTS VOTING FOR THE SKINNY A COCKTAIL BRENDA SCHOEPP VADIM ON RATIONS FOR CROPS TRADE DEALS 2.0 4 Alberta vet creates social media sensation VICKY HORN 42 CREATING OUR LIFE’S MICROBIAL MASTERPIECE 5 ECO-WARRIORS Biobeds a simple way to KELSEY BEASLEY Cows cost big money if DANCING WITH MOTHER prevent pesticide they’re too light heading Building more productive soil contamination 19 NATURE into winter 12 with multi-species cover crops 17 5 Benchmark survey for cattle New book catalogues a sector BY JENNIFER BLAIR AF STAFF ‘century of solutions’ at More than 1,500 western Canadian cow-calf producers are needed for a management survey that will help U of A’s ag department guide provincial extension and research activities for the beef cattle industry. Department started in 1915 with just 16 students and “What we’re hoping to do is get farmers to fill out the survey and has gone on to win national and international renown tell us what they did last year,” said Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture thing readable, entertaining, and and Rural Development. BY ALEXIS KIENLEN enjoyable... There are no footnotes or The survey, which will be available AF STAFF academic language. We just wanted before the end of October, will look to make it a really great story that all at common management measure- hundred years of scientific kinds of readers can enjoy and get ments, including calf birth and mor- innovation and agricultural something out of.” tality rates, vaccinations, weaning, A advancements produced by Gillespie said he was surprised both and culls. Once the data is compiled, University of Alberta faculty and by the diversity of the faculty and the producers will have a chance to researchers is being celebrated impact the school and its alumni have compare their results with the in a new book entitled A Century had both nationally and internation- provincial average. of Solutions. ally. Reading about past deans and “What we’ll do with these surveys The Department of Agriculture — faculty members and their various is give them the information back now the faculty of agriculture, life eccentricities was particularly enjoy- and say, ‘OK, this is how you ranked and environmental sciences (ALES) able, he added. against your peers provincially, and — was established in 1915 and had 16 here’s some suggestions on what you students that first year. In was a quiet might want to look at to improve,’” start, but much has happened since, said Yaremcio. said author Curtis Gillespie. “It is unbelievable the “We’ll tell him if you’ve got an 85 “It is unbelievable the number of per cent calving rate and the indus- things they do in that faculty — it’s number of things they do try average is 90 per cent, there’s an just mind blowing,” said Gillespie, in that faculty. It’s just opportunity for improvement.” who with fellow Edmontonian writer The data will also be compared Theresa Shea spent a year researching mind blowing.” to baselines established in 1988 the book. and 1998. “Every single thing the faculty how much of its research has been on “What we’re trying to do is see how does touches every other faculty on CURTIS how to keep food production up to the management techniques have campus. ALES really uses every other GILLESPIE pace with the population explosion,” changed by producers over the last 15 faculty. You can’t say that about he said. years.” other faculties.” The 250-page-plus, heavily illus- The survey can be completed The history is a general interest book, trated book, which costs $20, can be online through the Western Beef he said. “Dean Fred Bentley, for example, purchased from the agriculture faculty. Development Centre, Alberta Beef “We wanted a narrative book that was so frantically worried that we (the It was released last week at the kick- Producers, and provincial Agriculture wasn’t too academic,” said Gillespie. human race) were going to breed our- off to what will be a year of centenary Ministry websites. Hard-copy surveys “In discussions with the dean (John selves into extinction — that was all he events, including a number of public will be available at government exten- Kennelly), (communications man- talked about,” Gillespie said. lectures and events. For more info, go sion offices and industry meetings ager) Michel (Proulx), and the others “Fifty years later, the global popula- to www.ales100.ales.ualberta.ca. this winter. who were involved with the project, tion has exploded. But then, the thing they decided that they wanted some- that’s so fascinating about ALES is [email protected] [email protected] 2015 PRE-SEASON ORDER PROGRAM* Place Your Order In November for Amazing Year-End Discounts 1+1=3 I-Series + SwitchBlade = 3 Machines in 1 TRUE VERTICAL TILLAGE MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS I-SERIES (I-1100, I-1200, I-2100, SwitchBlade hydraulic shank attachments I-4100) tools give you superior convert vertical tillage to fertilizer surface tillage and residue applicator or coulter chisel in seconds. management in spring or fall. It’s like three machines on one frame. *Terms and conditions apply, see dealer for details. I-SERIES – Equipped for Deep Placement Dry Fertilizer Application www.salfordmachine.com I Ontario, Canada I 1-866-442-1293 14211_Salford_1plus1equals3_10.25x3_AlbertaFarmerExpress_Sep14.indd 1 9/25/14 12:59 PM ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • OCTOBER 27, 2014 3 Proven Seed is the secret The tale of how to a successful harvest chickens got so big Today’s strain of chickens are four times bigger than the broilers of 60 years ago, and they need only half the feed Learn more at provenseed.ca or ask your CPS retailer You lookin’ at me? Today’s broilers can channel their inner Robert DeNiro — they’re bruisers compared to their 1950s’ era cousins. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK from 1978, and the third was a mod- genetics,” said Zuidhof. “We didn’t BY ALEXIS KIENLEN ern commercial variety developed in feed them hormones. This is decisive AF STAFF 2005. evidence that it’s not hormones — All three sets were given the same it’s genetics.” modern broiler chicken grows feed and raised under identical con- The media inquiries have given a whopping four times faster ditions — but the end result was the professor a chance to explain the A than one bred in the 1950s dramatically different. After 56 days, basics of livestock breeding, and why — and packs on those pounds with the scrawny ’57 model weighed 905 chickens have changed so quickly. much less feed. grams and while the ’78 version was “The chicken is like the drosophila “They’re much more efficient,” double the size, it still looks puny (fruit fly) of the livestock industry,” said Martin Zuidhof, associate pro- compared to the 4.2-kilogram mod- he said.