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Agrilink
FEDERATION OF AG TAKES SHOT AT FEDS OVER HST AND NATIVES
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
This week's controversial commentary comes from Bette Jean Crews, President, Ontario Federation of AgricultureMotivating our governments to action has proven to be a long, drawn out process – at least where agriculture is involved.
That’s not always the case. Our provincial and federal governments have given the country proof that speedy action is possible, at least if Native Canadians and the G8 and G20 summits are part of the mix.
This was demonstrated when Ottawa announced it is prepared to offer concessions on the Harmonized Sales Tax for aboriginals in Ontario. All it took for the federal government to offer concessions was a threat by natives to disrupt Ottawa’s current pet project – hosting the summits in Huntsville and Toronto.
So, now that we know they are not intransigent on HST, we will remind the federal government that the use of the farm business registration card for point-of-sale tax exemption is an administratively simple way to roll out HST for farmers. As we argued before, what is the point in collecting HST on farm inputs only to give it back after a lot of paperwork?
While governments are in a progressive state of mind, the partners in the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition (OASC) – the non supply-managed commodity organizations in Ontario -- will continue to press for what is needed to prevent a massive failure within Ontario agriculture.
Improvements to the AgriStability program, retroactive to 2008, would inject $100 million per year into Ontario farm businesses, helping stabilize the farm community and the rural economy. The OASC partners are also anxious to see the implementation of a national AgriFlex program, enabling Business Risk Management Plans across their commodities to further sustain them for years to come.
Our commodity leaders have been telling governments we are dangerously close to a disaster in Ontario agriculture. This message is being reinforced by Dr. George Brinkman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph. Dr. Brinkman has analysed the farm income and debt statistics over the past three decades and concludes, definitively, that agriculture in Canada is in serious trouble. Regrettably, he also concludes that Ontario agriculture is in even worse shape.
Farm incomes in Ontario are negative – there is no way to make those statistics look good. Debt to equity ratios are unsustainable at present levels. Dr. Brinkman warns that stabilizing the farm sector is a critical task before the inevitable increase in interest rates tears the sector apart.
We need to keep showing that Ontario residents and the Ontario Government reap massive benefits from the work of Ontario farmers. The residents get unlimited supplies of the safest food needed to stay healthy and productive. Ontarians reap the benefits of jobs created by the agri-food sector, not only for the food processed and sold in Ontario, but for exports.
There are a lot of people benefitting from the food grown, processed, marketed and consumed in Ontario, but our governments are not yet listening. From something as simple as point-of-sale exemption for HST to real, bankable risk management programs we need to ensure our political leaders start leading.
The opportunity for leadership in agriculture presents itself in early July when agriculture Ministers meet in Saskatoon to review our situation and programs. We know Minister Mitchell will be fighting for our AgriStability and BRMP requirements. We need all Ministers to get on board to secure a better business environment for our farms.
2010 SOUTHWEST CROP DIAGNOSTIC DAY COMES TO RIDGETOWN CAMPUS
06/15/10
From a Release - RIDGETOWN - The 16th annual Southwest Crop Diagnostic Day is set for July 7 and 8, 2010 at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, Ridgetown. The day provides participants with hands-on learning experiences to assist in the correct identification and treatment of a range of crop problems. It is targeted to agri-business personnel but farmers are welcome to attend.
Participants can choose ten (10) of the eleven (11) stations across campus to learn about:
Herbicide Injury in Corn
Identifying and Assessing Diseases
Nitrogen Application Techniques, N Losses and Crop Impact in Corn
Impacts of Increased Management in Wheat
Herbicide Injury in Soybeans
The Mixed Bag of Refuge
SMART Soybeans – Is Intensive Management Worth it?
Moving Soil – plow, disc or chisel
Growing Bio-Energy Crops in Ontario
Vines that Entwine
Nematodes Unearthed
Participants choose which day they wish to attend, the 7th or the 8th, and the cost for the day is $95.00 which includes program, lunch, refreshments, and information package.
Registration is at 8:15 a.m. and participants will be in the field from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Speakers will be available for interviews over lunch (12:15 – 1:15) or at the end of the day.
For more information, contact:
Mirjam Hall, Client Service Representative, Ridgetown OMAFRA 519-674-1698
Janet Campbell, Client Service Representative, Ridgetown OMAFRA 519-674-1692 or
Tracey Baute, Field Crop Entomologist, Ridgetown OMAFRA 519-674-1696
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To view these articles online, please visit us on the web at
http://www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink/agrilink..._scoops.cfm
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TekTalk
YELLOW SOYBEANS? NO PROBLEM! - OMAFRA
06/17/10
Farmers concerned about their yellow soybeans have nothing to worry about. That message comes from OMAFRA's Soybean Specialist, Horst Bohner. He says many soybean fields planted in late May are now yellow in colour. Soybeans naturally go through a period when leaves are light green or even pale yellow. This is the period just before the nodules start to supply adequate nitrogen to the leaves. This is an important phase in the development of a healthy crop. Only in the absence of N (a pale looking crop) will the roots send the signal to the rhizobia to initiate nodulation. Once the nodules have established and start providing nitrogen, the leaves turn a dark green colour. If proper nodulation, sufficient nutrients and moisture are present, soybeans will remain yellow for only a few weeks. Excess moisture and rapid leaf growth have made soybeans more yellow than usual in some cases. It’s possible to differentiate this form of yellowing from manganese deficiency because the whole leaf is yellow including the veins. If the veins are darker in colour the problem is usually a Mn deficiency.
FUSARIUM RISK IN 2010 WHEAT IS HIGHER
06/16/10
This year's wheat crop may show greater incidence of dreaded fusarium thanks to a number of factors. That word comes for Peter Johnson, Cereals Specialist at OMAFRA in Stratford. He says in his article in a recent Crop Pest Digest that it is extremely hard to make any intelligent comment about fusarium right now. That is not just a typical government guy ducking the question. The challenge is the number of variables. Heading dates within any given field have been over a much larger period than normal, especially fields without seed placed starter. 8 days or more from first head emerged to the last group of late tillers. Within that period, fusarium risk has varied from <1 ppm to >3 ppm. The risk based on genetic tolerance has been widely divergent, with HS varieties being red and MR varieties green some days. Rotation and fungicide applications play a role. Undoubtedly the fusarium risk from initial infection exists in every field, but what proportion of the field is at what risk?
Anticipate fusarium hot spots in Ontario this year, likely slightly worse than last year, with more occurrences north and east of London than in the deep southwest. The earlier the crop headed out, the less risk it was at. Genetic tolerance, fungicide control, and area specific weather will all be playing major roles. Remember that we are 4-5 weeks away from harvest being in full swing, and secondary spread will be determined from weather during that period. High temperatures (>32C) will essentially stop disease development, but will also reduce yields.
I am disappointed that more wheat was not sprayed with a fungicide. Many areas are reporting that only 15 to 20% of the crop was sprayed, with a few areas around 50% sprayed. With the better product we currently have (Proline), and the borderline risk of many fields, it was an ideal year to see benefit from fungicide use. However, with variable heading, wet and windy weather during application timing, and other demands on sprayers for weed control in corn and soybeans, not much was sprayed. The last and biggest driver for the decision not to spray: low wheat prices. It is virtually impossible to get growers excited about spraying wheat when the marketplace is offering a paltry $3.50/bu (125/t).
The one market class that hopefully is in better shape from a fusarium standpoint is soft white winter. With a $1.00/bu premium on the line, one of the best varieties being moderately resistant (MR), and fusarium control written into many contracts, I think we stand an excellent chance of avoiding significant fusarium in this class. Of course sprouting could still fry us there…….
SCOUTING FOR WHEAT HEAD BLIGHT IS IMPORTANT
06/21/10
Albert Tenuta, Field Crop Plant Pathologist with OMAFRA at Ridgetown says over the past week we have begun to see the first symptoms of Fusarium Head Blight in the southwest and although the incidence and severity are still very low (1% or less) it is best to begin assessing your wheat. Scouting your wheat in the next few weeks will assist in determining whether you will encounter a problem or have to modify your harvest plans.
One of the questions we often are asked is what do you mean by "incidence" and "severity". In terms of incidence it refers to the number of plants in a sample which show the symptoms or problem regardless of how much disease is present. Basically it is either is diseased or not. For example if two separate fields are examined and 10 plants are scouted from 10 different areas for a total of 100 plants per field - the number of infected plants will give us our incidence (#number affected divided by 100). If after scouting our two fields (A and B) the number of plants showing FHB symptoms were 1 and 25 respectively, then the incidence would be 1% for Field A and 25% for Field B.
Severity refers to the amount or extent of the damage observed. In the case of FHB estimate the percentage of each head which is diseased and calculate the average severities for all the heads (include the zero ratings as well). Knowing the incidence and severity are important when evaluating FHB in your field or when comparing different varieties, etc.
Be cautious though when observing head severities of 100% since take-all disease, wheat stem saw-fly feeding can result in complete bleaching of the head as well therefore examine the lower stem and roots for these and other problems.
DOWNY MILDEW CONFIRMED IN MILTON, ONTARIO CUCUMBER FIELD
06/21/10
The red flag is up for area cucumber growers. Michael Celetti, Plant Pathologist with OMAFRA says Downy Mildew was confirmed in a field of fresh market cucumbers near Milton
Ontario on June 17, 2010. The arrival of this disease is very early and the first
confirmed report of this disease in field cucumbers in Ontario this season. It is very
possible that other fields may have the disease or will soon.
The infected cucumbers plants were at about the 4-5 leaf stage and growing on black plastic mulch.
Approximately 10% of the field was infected with 10% of the leaf area affected. No sporulation was found in the field at the time; however, lesions on leaves brought back to a lab at the University of Guelph began to sporulate within 12 hours.
Cucurbit growers should have their fields scouted regularly for this disease. Successful management of this disease is accomplished when fungicides are applied prior to the disease infecting the crop so it is imperative that growers apply a fungicide to prevent the establishment of downy mildew in their crops on 5-7 day schedule. If possible, apply a fungicide before a rainfall event, dew or prior to overhead irrigation.
When implementing a fungicide program it is important to avoid the potential of resistance developing to fungicides by rotating between fungicides from different chemical families. Never apply the same fungicide from the same family back to back in the field. Rotate between Tattoo C and Ranman 400SC. Apply Tattoo C at a rate of 1.2-2.7 L/ha (0.72-1.1 L/acre). The rate for Ranman is 150-200 mL/ha (40-80
mL/acre) add 150 mL/ha (62 mL/ac) of Sylgard 309 as a surfactant. Tattoo C does not need a surfactant. Use the higher rates under heavy disease pressure or when the canopy begins to close over and use a minimum spray volume of 340-675 liters of water per hectare (30-60 gallons of water per acre).
VULTURES & HEAT SHIMMER AS SPRAY INDICATORS
06/21/10
Two more natural indicators farmers see regularly can help them determine if crop spraying is warranted. Helmut Spieser, Environmental Engineer with OMAFRA at Ridgetown says looking for mirages and vultures are smart observations for spray decision making.
Spieser says there are a lot of different methods used by farmers to determine suitability of spray conditions. We all know about wind speed and everything from leaves rustling, flags flying, dust blowing, smoke stacks billowing, windmeters and condition predictor programs like SPRAYcast. Each one of these indicators tells you something. You have to hope it's telling you enough accurate information to make a wise decision as to your spraying activities. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the drift potential increases as the wind speed increases. Most people know that spray that is carried off as drift could cause drift problems down wind. In actual fact, spray droplets that are carried off is also product that is lost. It is material that you have paid for and is not available in the field to control a given pest. Being a good sprayer operator means you have to understand all aspects of droplet movement in the environment.
You might wonder what vultures and heat shimmer tell you about spray conditions. We know that both vultures and heat shimmer are around because of rising warm air. Turkey vultures can soar because there are columns of rising warm air. Heat shimmer visually shows that surface temperatures are more than 10oC above air temperature - again rising warm air.
When you operate your sprayer, the nozzles produce a whole range of droplet sizes. Droplet sizes from large to small are produced by the nozzle and but most of them are somewhere in the middle from a size standpoint. All nozzle designs produce some droplets that are every small and would fall into the drift prone category. Generally we consider droplets in the 100 micron size, those about the diameter of a human hair, drift prone. You can't see these droplets with the naked eye. The reason they are drift prone is the fact these droplets are buoyant in air. They float just like a soap bubble. The driftable fines start to float about 5cm below the nozzle. The reason they float is because they a large surface area compared to the volume contained.
So, if you are out spraying and you see turkey vultures overhead or a mirage in the distance - warm air is rising. You as a sprayer operator need to make adjustments to address current spray conditions. Driftable fines float in air so any of these fine droplets that you produce can be carried up, up and away. If these droplets stay as droplets for a long enough period of time, off-target damage could occur. If you consider yourself a sprayer operator you need to know conditions around you and adjust your machine as needed. Sprayer jockeys just drive and don't seem to notice things around them.
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To view these articles online, please visit us on the web at
http://www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink/agrilink_...tektalk.cfm
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AgriLink Upcoming Events
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Event - Sustainable Shorelines Open House Date - June 22, 2010 Time - 7:00 PM Place - Thames Campus Arena – Red Line Room - 999 Grand Avenue West, Chatham Contact Name - Planning Services, 315 King Street West, P.O. Box 640, Chatham, Ontario, N7M 5K8, Attention - Shoreline Areas S Email - wendym@chatham-kent.ca Website - www.chatham-kent.ca
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Event - Annual Ontario Pork Congress Date - June 23,2010 to June 24, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Stratford Website - www.porkcongress.on.ca
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Event - CHATHAM-KENT’S JOURNEY 2007 – 2010, The Community Strategic Planning Committee, an Advisory Committee of Council, is inviting you to a free celebration breakfast! Date - June 23, 2010 Time - 7:30 AM Place - Chatham Cultural Centre, Studio One 75 William Street North
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Event - Getting the Most from your Solar Energy System-Seminar Date - June 28, 2010 Time - 7:00 PM Place - Ridgetown Campus, University of Guelph Contact Name - Dezarae Malott at (519) 674-1500 ext. 1295 or 1-877-480-9992 Website - www.ridgetownc.com/solar
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Event - Soil & Water Management Workshop Date - June 29, 2010 Place - London-St. Thomas area Contact Name - Woodstock OMAFRA Resource Centre, 519-537-6621 Alt Contact Name - Agricultural Information Contact Centre, 1-877-424-1300
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Event - SouthWest Crop Diagnostic Day Date - July 7, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Ridgetown Campus, University of Guelph Website - www.diagnosticdays.ca
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Event - Kent Country Pork Producers Annual Golf Tournament Date - July 7, 2010 Place - Country View Golf Course, Oungah Contact Name - Ken Koster 519-692-5022
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Event - SouthWest Crop Diagnostic Day Date - July 8, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Ridgetown Campus, University of Guelph Website - www.diagnosticdays.ca
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Event - Environmental Farm Plan Workshop-Elgin, Day Two-July 21 Date - July 14, 2010 Time - 10:00 AM Place - St. Thomas Contact Name - Margaret May 519-287-5334 Email - elgin@ontariosoilcrop.org
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Event - Progressive Agriculture / Chatham-Kent Farm Safety Day Date - July 21, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Ridgetown Campus, University of Guelph Contact Name - Sue Kelner 519-674-1584 Email - skelner@ridgetwonc.uoguelph.ca
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Event - Environmental Farm Plan Workshop-Middlesex, Day Two-Aug. 13 Date - August 6, 2010 Time - 10:00 AM Place - TBA Contact Name - Margaret May-519-287-5334 Email - middlesex@ontariosoilcrop.org
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Event - Lambton SCIA Twilight Tour, Date - August 11, 2010 Time - 4:45 PM Place - John Lammers Farm, 5272 LaSalle Line, Petrolia Contact Name - Bonnie 519-882-3215
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Event - Southern Ontario Draft Horse Basic Workshop Date - August 12,2010 to August 14, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Sparta near St. Thomas at Orchard Hill Farm Contact Name - Ken Laing, 519-775-2670 Email - kmlaing@orchardhillfarm.ca Website - www.orchardhillfarm.ca
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Event - Junior Farmers' Association of Ontario's 4th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Date - August 13, 2010 Time - 12:30 PM Place - Guelph Lakes Golf and Country Club, Guelph Contact Name - 519-780-5326 Email - golf@jfao.on.ca Website - www.jfao.on.ca/golf
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Event - Is the Coast Clear? – 6th Annual Conference on Lake Huron coastal environment Date - August 20, 2010 Time - 9:00 AM Place - Oakwood Conference Centre, Grand Bend Website - www.lakehuron.ca
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Event - Southern Ontario Draft Horse Basic Workshop Date - September 9,2010 to September 11, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Sparta near St. Thomas at Orchard Hill Farm Contact Name - Ken Laing, 519-775-2670 Email - kmlaing@orchardhillfarm.ca Website - www.orchardhillfarm.ca
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Event - Essex SCIA Twilight Tour Date - September 11, 2010 Time - 2:00 PM Place - Thibert Farm, 20300 Lakeshore Road 308, Comber Contact Name - Jim Buck 705-696-2567
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Event - Outdoor Farm Show Date - September 14,2010 to September 16, 2010 Time - 1:00 PM Place - Woodstock-Canada's Outdoor Park Website - http://www.outdoorfarmshow.com/
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Event - International Plowing Match & Farm Machinery Show Date - September 21,2010 to September 25, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Elgin – St. Thomas Website - http://www.ipm2010.com/
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Event - WOMEN IN AGRI-BUSINESS SYMPOSIUM Date - October 13, 2010 Time - 8:30 AM Place - Springfield Golf & Country Club 2054 Gordon St. Guelph, ON Contact Name - (519) 821-4655,
Fitzgerald & Co., 39 William Street, Elmira, ON N3B 1P3 or Fax: 519-669-3826
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Event - Royal Winter Fair Date - November 5,2010 to November 14, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - Exhibition Place, Toronto Website - www.royalfair.org
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Event - Agr. & Rural Energy Expo Date - November 6,2010 to November 7, 2010 Time - All Day Event Place - REACH Huron in Clinton Website - www.reachhuron.ca
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To view these listings online, please visit us on the web at
http://www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink/agrilink..._events.cfm
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John Jordan
Editor, AgriLink and Farm Market News
University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus
Tel. 519-674-1577
Fax. 519-674-1530
E-mail: jjordan@ridgetownc.uoguelph.ca
AgriLink website : www.ridgetownc.com/agrilink
