“Equipment prices at auction are as strong as or stronger than they have been for the last four or five years. Good used equipment is selling for a premium,” says Wallan.

Wallan explained part of this is due to the strong commodity prices farmers have enjoyed for the past few years. “Commodity prices are good so farmers have good cash flow. Farmers have the money to upgrade equipment.”

At the same time, new equipment has gone up substantially. As the price of new equipment goes up, Wallan says more and more farmers are looking at buying late model used equipment. As a result, used prices have followed new prices up. There have even been some instances where well-cared-for, old equipment, with low hours, have actually surpassed the price they originally sold for when new.

Another reason for higher auction prices is increased attendance at auctions. Long gone are the days when a farm auction only attracted local buyers and neighbours. As has happened in all industries, auction companies have consolidated and grown larger. This has resulted in larger sales which attract more sellers and more buyers. Instead of just selling the equipment of a single farm at one sale, today we are seeing multi-day consignment sales with millions of dollars of equipment on the block. On August 7, 2013, at the Ritchie Bros sale in Saskatoon, 135 late model combines were sold for a total of $15.5 million. When there is this much equipment on the block, a lot of buyers attend and bid prices up.

• From the Alberta Farmer website: Rimbey auctioneer marks milestone

According to Wallan, auction prices of large, late models tractors have appreciated the most. They have been the strongest seller for the last few years and he expects this trend to continue in 2014. He says there is still a great demand for good used tractors and this is reflected in the prices.

“Combine pricing is more variable,” claims Wallan. He says prices fluctuate considerably based on the hours on the machine, the history and maintenance of it, and the condition. He points out there are many more farmers who buy a new combine each year than they do tractors so there are more low hour late model combines available which moderates the demand and prices.

“Seeding equipment is the most volatile.” Wallan notes there are so many variables when it comes to seeding equipment. The tank size, width of the seeding tool, the type of opener, the technology all influence the amount a potential buyers are willing to bid.

When asked to forecast equipment prices at auction sales in 2014, Wallan replied, “I see prices staying at current levels or possibly increasing a little more.

“There used to be a pretty good correlation between what a piece of equipment sold for at an auction sale and suggested book value that a dealer would use to price that equipment on the lot. In the last four or five years that has gone out the window. We no longer rely on the published equipment pricing guide for knowing what equipment is worth but rather use our own historical sales values for pricing guidance. Besides, it is hard to compare auction prices with the ask price on a dealer lot because often equipment does not sell for the asking price. Trades are often involved at a dealer, and often there is some type of warranty included and maybe even dealer financing of the purchase. Whereas at an auction everything is sold as is, where is,” Wallan concluded.

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Arysta LifeScience

Arysta LifeScience offered an Early Purchase Offer on Everest 2.0. If you bought an Everest 2.0 Smartboy (10 specially packaged jugs of Everest 2.0) prior to Jan. 31, 2014 you received an instant discount of $1,200 per Smartboy.

Arysta is also offering an opportunity to save on its new grass and broadleaf burn-down herbicide Inferno Duo. If you purchase between Feb. 15 and March 31, 2014 you’ll get an instant discount of $0.50 per acre ($40 per canister).

These are the only two purchase programs Arysta offers. Instead, Arysta LifeScience says, its marketing strategy is to simplify the game by offering best-in-class products with competitive pricing.

BASF

BASF has simplified its western Canadian AgSolutions Rewards program for 2014. To qualify you must purchase at least two qualifying BASF products. The list of pesticides which can be used to qualify can be found on the BASF website at www.agsolutions.ca. The website also has a calculator so you can predetermine your reward savings.

Once you are qualified, you earn a rebate on purchases of most BASF products. The percentage rebated is based on the total number of acres to which qualified products are applied. If you apply at least 400 acres of qualifying products you’ll earn a three per cent rebate on herbicides, six per cent on Headline and Caramba fungicide, 12 per cent on Lance fungicide and 12 per cent on BASF seed treatments.

For growers with more acres, these rates increase incrementally to a maximum of five per cent rebate on herbicides, 10 per cent on Headline and Caramba, 16 per cent on Lance and 16 per cent on BASF seed treatments. As an additional bonus, qualifying acres are doubled when calculating the rebate on fungicide purchases.

Only products purchased between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014 are eligible for rebates, and you must register by Nov. 30, 2014. Register through your retailer, through your BASF representative or by calling BASF AgSolutions Customer Care at 1-877-371-2273.

Bayer CropScience

Bayer CropScience is expanding its BayerValue program for the 2014 growing season. This program provides savings based on your total purchases of Bayer CropScience products between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014.

There are a number of components to the BayerValue program. First, there is an incremental rebate on qualifying Bayer CropScience products. Purchase $20,000 to $59,999 of Bayer Products to earn a three per cent rebate on Infinity, Velocity M3, Tundra or Varro herbicides, and a five per cent rebate on Proline, Prosaro, Propulse and Folicur EW fungicide purchases. You can qualify for a $1 per acre rebate when using Decis insecticide and a $1 per acre rebate on purchases of Raxil Pro, Raxil MD, Trilex Evergol and Evergol Energy.

Purchase $60,000 to $119,999 of Bayer products to increase your rebate on herbicides to four per cent and on fungicides to six per cent. The top increment is for purchases of $120,000 or more — the herbicide rebate jumps to five per cent and fungicide rebate to seven per cent.

The second component is an early booking offer for InVigor hybrid canola. If you booked a minimum 300 acres of InVigor by Jan. 31, you received an additional five per cent rebate on Infinity, Velocity M3, Tundra and Varro herbicides, as well as Prosaro, Folicur EW and Propulse fungicides. The rebate increased to eight per cent on Proline fungicide.

The third component is the Cereal Winter Sale. Book a minimum of $12,000 (based on standard retail prices) of specific Bayer CropScience cereal herbicides by March 10, 2014 for a five per cent rebate on those herbicides.

The fourth component is the Cereal Saver. Purchase a minimum of 480 acres of products from at least two of the three cereal categories: cereal/pulse seed treatments, cereal herbicides, and cereal/pulse fungicides. The Cereal Saver qualifies you to receive an additional three per cent off cereal herbicides and cereal/pulse fungicides. You will also receive an additional $1 per acre back on qualifying cereal/pulse seed treatments.

The final component is the Puma Advance Full Rate rebate. Instantly save $1 per acre on Puma Advance purchases.

If you participated in the 2013 Bayer Value Program you will automatically be re-enrolled for 2014. If you were not registered last year, contact the Bayer CropScience Rebate Fulfilment Interaction Centre at 1-888-283-6847 before May 1, 2014 to register.

From the Canadian Cattlemen website: Planning for 2014

Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences is continuing to offer the Dividends program it introduced in 2011. Rewards are calculated as a dollar per acre payment. The amount of the payment depends on the mix of Dow AgroSciences products used.

Dow AgroSciences categorizes its products into four groups. The first group of cereal grass and one-pass products includes Tandem, Simplicity and Liquid Achieve. You must use a minimum of 320 acres of any one or combination of these three herbicides to qualify for a rebate. As was the case last year, 320 acres of Nexera will also qualify you for the Dividends program.

Once qualified, you earn rebates by matching qualifying acres with purchases of a Dow AgroSciences cereal broadleaf product (the second group of products) and/or a canola and special crop product (the third group). In the 2014 program, Tandem automatically qualifies for the $1 per acre reward without requiring matching acres from other categories. Liquid Achieve is not eligible for a rebate, but can still be used as a builder to qualify other products for a reward.

Dow AgroSciences glyphosate products are the fourth group category and if purchased, increase any reward you’ve qualified for.

Dow AgroSciences is also continuing the Bulk Up component of the Dividends program. Purchases of bulk packaged PrePass before Feb. 20, 2014 will increase the reward by up to $0.50 an acre. Rebates also increase if you purchase bulk-packaged OcTTain XL, Attain XC, Frontline XL, or Stellar, Tandem, Simplicity, Liquid Achieve and/or Prestige XC before March 20.

If you participate in both components of Dividends, you can save up to $5 an acre on Dow AgroSciences purchases. There is a Dividends calculator at www.dowagrodividends.ca to help you figure it all out.

If you have not previously completed an offer form giving Dow AgroSciences permission to collect the information they need to calculate this rebate, you must do so before Nov. 30, 2014. Dow AgroSciences product purchases between Dec. 1, 2013 and Nov. 30, 2014 qualify for the Dividends program.

For further information, call the Dow AgroSciences Solutions Centre at 1-800-667-3852.

DuPont

DuPont FarmCare Connect Grower Program is a joint offering from DuPont Pioneer and DuPont Crop Protection in 2014.

Unlike the FarmCare program offered last year, you no longer need to enrol. You’re automatically enrolled when they purchase a qualifying product: 140 acres of D-Series or Pioneer brand canola hybrids, or 140 acres of Pioneer brand corn, soybean, or sunflower, or a minimum of eight jugs of DuPont Vertisan or four jugs of DuPont Acapela fungicide.

The combined total purchase of these products plus a long list of other DuPont pesticides and Pioneer branded seed determine the rebate you’ll earn on a number of DuPont burn-down herbicides, in-crop herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. A complete list of these builder and rebate eligible products can be found on the DuPont FarmCare Connect website. Search for “farmcare” at www.dupont.ca

Rebates range from four per cent if you purchase a minimum of $10,000 worth of qualifying and builder products all the way up to 12 per cent for total purchases over $150,000

You can save even more with the Matching Acre Bonus component of the 2014 FarmCare program. A purchase of at least 320 acres of Acapela, Assure II, Express Pro, Express SG, Precision Pac NC-0050, Precision Pac NC-00439, Precision Pac DB-858, Triton K, or Vertisan earns a $1 per acre rebate on matching acres of DuPont cereal broadleaf brands.

For more information call 1-800-667-3925 or visit www.farmcare.ca.

Mana Canada

MANA Canada says it strives to create simplicity in agriculture, both in its products and business approach, and therefore provides quality products without forcing growers to sign up for mandatory bundling or complicated rebate programs. Rather than provide a cash back program, MANA Canada says its promise is to work with their customers to create the best return on investment.

Monsanto

Monsanto is again offering a 100 per cent replant guarantee on DEKALB canola and corn seed planted after April 15 and DEKALB soybean seeded after May 1. If you have to reseed, Monsanto will provide replacement seed. You must reseed to the same crop using DEKALB brand seed. Application for reseeding must be made to seed retailers before June 20, 2014.

Monsanto is offering interest free financing until fall 2014 on all DEKALB seed through Agricard and John Deere Financial.

Western Canadian growers who tank mix Roundup Transorb HC or Roundup Ultra 2 with Heat or Distinct will receive $0.50 per acre for all acres where this tank mix is applied.

Details of both these herbicide offers are available at www.JustTryMe.ca.

Nufarm

Nufarm has two “business made easy” offers for Western Canada in 2014. The first is a performance guarantee on its new burn-off product Blackhawk. If you are not satisfied with the burn-off after using Blackhawk, Nufarm representatives will inspect the field. If they deem Blackhawk did not perform as stated on the label, Nufarm will provide an in-crop broadleaf product that will get the weeds Blackhawk missed on up to 640 acres where Blackhawk had been applied.

Nufarm is also introducing Enforcer, a new in-crop broadleaf product for the control of kochia, cleavers and wild buckwheat in cereals. As an introductory special, Nufarm is offering a 50 per cent savings on the first 80 acres of this product purchase (based on the suggested retail price of Enforcer). The savings will rebated via gift card.

Both these offers require registration. Do it online at www.nufarm.ca or call 1-800-868-5444.

Syngenta

Syngenta has made it easier to take advantage of the Syngenta Partner Program for 2014. To qualify, purchase a minimum $15,000 of eligible Syngenta products. New products added to the Partner Program for 2014 include Vibrance Maxx for pulses, new canola varieties SY4114 and SY4135 and the new wheat variety SY433.

Rebate percentages are calculated by totalling the purchases of most Syngenta crop establishment, crop management, crop enhancement and harvest management products. The Partner Program Calculator and the Rules and Regulations can be found on the Syngenta website, www.SyngentaFarm.ca.

A total purchase value of $15,000 in Syngenta products earns you a three per cent rebate, and this increases incrementally. Earn up to a nine per cent savings for purchases of $250,000 or more. Syngenta seed (canola, cereals, sunflowers, corn and soybeans) is not eligible for savings but seed purchases are used as builder products to increase the rebate percentage rate.

Syngenta has improved its Crop Enhancement Bonus this year. If you qualify for the Partner Program, you can earn an additional $3 per acre rebate on Astound, Quilt and Fuse fungicides when matched with acres treated with Traxos, Sierra 2.0, Broadband or Axial products. You can further match those fungicide acres with acres treated with Seedcare products such as Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Cereals, Vibrance Maxx, Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Beans, Apron Advance and Vibrance XL.

New this year is the Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Beans Bonus. If you qualify for the Partner Program, you can earn an additional five per cent on all purchases of Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Beans.

If you participated in the 2013 Partner Program, you are automatically registered for 2014. If not, call the Syngenta Customer Resource Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682) to register.

UAP

UAP explains that it keeps things simple with competitive net pricing — no hassles and no rebate forms. †

Gerald Pilger farms at Ohaton, Alta.

The post 2014 rebate roundup appeared first on Grainews.

Arysta LifeScience

Arysta LifeScience offered growers an Early Purchase Offer on Everest 2.0.

Farmers who purchased an Everest 2.0 SmartBoy (10 specially packaged jugs of Everest 2.0) before Jan 31, 2012 received an instant discount of $1,200 per SmartBoy.

This is Arysta’s only purchase program. Instead, Arysta LifeScience explains that its marketing strategy is to simplify the game by offering best-in-class products at competitive pricing, not complicated programming.

BASF

BASF has revised the AgSolutions Rewards program it introduced in 2012.

This year, farmers must purchase a minimum combined total of 400 acres of any two of the following products: Aries, Basagran Forte, Heat, Viper ADV, Distinct, Headline, Twinline or Priaxor DS. Growers can also use purchases of Clearfield wheat, canola, sunflowers, or lentils as qualifying acres, provided they sign a Clearfield Commitment form and purchase matching acres of a BASF Canada herbicide registered for use in that Clearfield crop. Each Clearfield crop acre matched with Clearfield chemistry acre equals two qualifying acres.

Farmers that qualify for the AgSolutions Rewards program are eligible for rebates on purchases of the following BASF herbicides: Absolute, Adrenalin SC, Altitude FX, Altitude FX 2, Aries, Banvel II, Basagran, Basagran Forte, Distinct, Dyvel, Dyvel DSP Equinox, Flaxmax DLX, Gladiator, Heat, Odyssey, Odyssey DLX, Poast Ultra, Pursuit, Tensile, Viper ADV, and Solo.

The size of the rebates depend on your qualifying acres:

•  three per cent for 400 to 1,399 acres,
•  four per cent for 1,400 to 3,599 acres; and,
•  five per cent for over 3,600 acres.

Qualifying farmers also earn rebates of 15 to 25 per cent on BASF seed treatment based on the same qualifying acre levels.

Qualifying farmers get an eight to 12 per cent growers rebate on Headline, Lance, and Caramba purchases. While the acre levels for determining rebate percentages is the same as for seed treatment and herbicide purchases, farmers get credit for two times their qualifying acres when calculating the rebate on fungicide purchases. Furthermore, earn an additional eight per cent rebate on Lance purchases by purchasing any AgCelence product (Headline, Headline Duo, Priaxor DS or Twinline).

BASF products must be purchased between Nov. 1, 2012 and Oct. 31, 2013 to qualify and be eligible for rebates.

Farmers must submit a signed consent form (available from retailers) by Oct. 31, 2013 to receive a rebate. For further information call BASF AgSolutions at 1-877-371-2273.

Bayer CropScience

Bayer CropScience is continuing its BayerValue program for the 2013 growing season. This program provides savings based on total purchase of Bayer CropScience products between Oct. 1, 2012 and Sept. 30, 3013.

There are a number of components to the BayerValue program. The first is an incremental rebate on Bayer CropScience products. Farmers purchasing Bayer Products worth $20,000 to $49,999 earn:

•  a three per cent rebate on Infinity, Velocity, Tundra or Varro herbicides;
•  five per cent back on Proline, Prosaro, and Folicur EW fungicides;
•  $1 per acre back for using Decis insecticide; and,
•  $1 per acre rebate on purchases of Raxil WW, Raxil MD, Trilex AL, and Trilex Evergol. Matching Raxil WW purchases with Velocity M3, Tundra, Puma Advance, Varro, Folicur EW and/or Prosaro doubles the Raxil WW rebate to two per cent.

Spending $50,000 to $99,999 doubles the rebate on herbicides (from three to six per cent), and takes the fungicide rebate from five to eight per cent.

The top increment is for purchases of $100,000 or more. In this cae, the herbicide rebate jumps to eight per cent and the fungicide rebate up to 10 per cent.

The second component of the BayerValue program is an early booking offer for InVigor seed. Farmers who booked a minimum of 300 acres of InVigor by January 31 received an additional five per cent rebate on Infinity, Velocity M3 Tundra, and Varro herbicides and Proline, Prosaro and Folicur EW fungicides, as well as an additional one per cent rebate on Bayer CropScience seed treatments.

The program’s third component is the Cereal Winter Sale. Booking a minimum of 300 acres of specific Bayer CropScience cereal herbicides by March 9, 2013 entitles farmers to a five per cent rebate on those herbicides. Infinity is now eligible for a rebate through the Cereal Winter Sale.

The final component is the Puma Advance Full Rate rebate — farmers can instantly save $1 per acre on Puma Advance purchases.

If you participated in the 2012 BayerValue program you will automatically be re-enrolled for 2013. If you were not registered last year, contract Bayer CropScience Rebate Fulfilment Interaction Centre at 1-888-283-6847 before May 1, 2013 to register.

Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences is continuing to offer the Dividends program it introduced in 2011. Rewards are calculated as a dollar per-acre payment. The actual per acre amount depends on the mix of Dow AgroSciences products you use.

Dow AgroSciences products have been categorized into four groups. The first group of cereal grass and one-pass products includes Tandem, Simplicity, and Liquid Achieve — a farmer must use at least 320 acre of any one or combination of these three herbicides to qualify for a rebate. As was the case in 2012, 320 acres of Nexera will also qualify a farmers for the Dividends program.

Qualified farmers can earn a rebate by matching those qualifying acres with purchases of a Dow AgroSciences cereal broadleaf product (the second group of products) and/or a canola and special crop product (the third group). In the 2013 program, Tandem automatically qualifies for the $1/acre reward without requiring matching acres from other categories. Liquid Achieve is not eligible for a rebate, but can still be used as a builder to qualify other products for a reward.

Dow AgroSciences glyphosate products are the fourth group category. Purchasing these will increase any reward the farmer has already qualified for.

Dow AgroSciences is also continuing the Bulk Up component of its Dividends program. Purchases of bulk packaged PrePass before February 20th, 2013 will increase the reward by up to $0.50 an acre. Rebates also increase if you purchase bulk packaged OcTTain XL, Attain XC, Frontline XL, or Stellar, Prestige XC before March 20.

A farmer participating in both components of Dividends could save up to $5 an acre on Dow AgroSciences purchases.

There is a Dividends calculator at www.dowagrodividends.ca to help calculate program rebates.

Farmers who have not completed a form giving Dow AgroSciences permission to collect the necessary information must do so before Nov. 30, 2013. Call the Dow AgroSciences Solutions Centre at 1-800-667-3852.

DuPont

DuPont has expanded its FarmCare Connect Grower Program for 2013. This program is being offered in partnership with Pioneer Hi-Bred and allows farmers to save up to 22 per cent when they purchase Pioneer brand canola seed and select DuPont crop protection products.

To qualify, farmers must purchase a minimum of 140 acres of eligible Pioneer brand canola, corn, soybean or sunflower seed and/or purchase DuPont crop protection products between Sept. 1, 2012 and Aug. 31, 2013.

New this year: farmers who purchase eight jugs of Vertisan fungicide or four jugs of Acapela fungicide between January 15 and Aug. 31, 2013 also qualify.

The combined total purchases of Pioneer seed and DuPont crop protection products determine the rebate on a long list of DuPont burn down herbicides, in-crop herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. Find a complete list of eligible DuPont products at the DuPont website at www.farmcare.ca.

The more DuPont and Pioneer products you purchase, the higher the rebate. For example, a total purchase of $6,000 allows a four per cent rebate. A total purchase of $50,000 allows a rebate of eight per cent. The rebate grows incrementally to a maximum of 12 per cent for farmers spending $100,000 or more on Pioneer canola seed and DuPont crop protection products.

Farmers can boost their rebates up to 22 per cent with the Matching Acre Bonus. Farmers purchasing 320 acres of Acapela, Assure II, Curaztec, Express Pro, Express SG, PrecisionPac NC-0050, PrecisionPac NC-00439, PrecisionPac DB-858, Triton K or Vertisan will earn an addition $1 per acre off cereal broadleaf brands on matching acres. (Acapela and Vertisan have been newly added for 2013, and the matching acre rebate has been doubled from $0.50 to $1.00.)

If you were enrolled in FarmCare Connect in 2010, 2011 or 2012 you were automatically registered in this year’s program. If you have not participated in the last three years, contact your local Pioneer or DuPont sales representative or retailer to sign up. For more information call 1-800-667-3925 or visit www.farmcare.ca.

MANA Canada

MANA Canada explains that it has a corporate philosophy of “fair price-brand results” and does not offer confusing or elaborate rebate or reward programs.

Monsanto

Monsanto offers a 100 per cent Replant Guarantee. If any Dekalb acre needs to be reseeded, 100 per cent of the seed cost on the re-planted bags will be covered. This applies to Dekalb canola seeded after April 15, Dekalb corn seeded after April 15, and Dekalb soybeans seeded after May 1, 2013. The Replant Guarantee only applies to Dekalb acres reseeded to the same Dekalb crop. Your Dekalb seed retailer will submit reseeding claims for payment made prior to June 20, 2013.

Monsanto is offering interest-free financing on all Dekalb products through Agricard and John Deere Financial. The interest-free period runs through to the fall of 2013.

Details on these and all other Dekalb programs and discounts are available from local dealers.

Nufarm

Nufarm explains that it offers fair upfront prices on all their products rather than rebate programs. However, from time to time, Nufarm will have “offers” on select products in their portfolio, so ask your dealer.

In 2013 farmers will receive 50 per cent off (in the form of a VISA gift card) on their first 80-acre purchase of Enforcer, a new all-in-one cereal broadleaf herbicide. Register for this offer at www.nufarm.ca.

Syngenta

Syngenta is expanding its Syngenta Partner Program for 2013. As in 2012, purchasing qualifying Syngenta products makes you eligible for savings on most Syngenta products.

To qualify for the Partner Program in 2013, a farmer must:

•  purchase a minimum of 160 acres of one, or combination of, the following products: Axial, Axial ipak, Axial Xtreme, Broadband, Sierra 2.0 or Traxos; OR,
•  purchase 960 acres worth of the Syngenta broadleaf products Pulsar and/or Target; OR,
•  purchase enough Syngenta wheat, corn, soybean and/or sunflower seed for 160 acres.

New products added to the Partner Program for 2013 include the Vibrance seed care line (Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Beans, Cruiser Maxx Vibrance Cereals, Helix Vibrance, and Vibrance XL), Apron Advance seed treatment and Fuse cereal fungicide.

Rebate percentages are calculated by totalling the purchases of most Syngenta crop establishment, crop management, crop enhancement and harvest management products. A program calculator and the rules and regulations can be found on the Syngenta website. At www.syngentafarm.ca, select “partner program” at the top of the page, then choose 2013.

A total purchase value of $10,000 of Syngenta products earns a farmer a three per cent rebate. This increases incrementally up to a 10 per cent rebate for purchases over $250,000. Helix Vibrance, Horizon NG, Traxion, and a few Syngenta seed varieties are not eligible for savings, but purchases of these products are used as builder products to increase the rebate percentage rate.

Syngenta is also offering its Pre-Seed Bonus program again this year. Farmers applying Touchdown Total, or Traxion, can save $1 per acre on matching acres of ApronMaxx, Vibrance XL, CruiserMaxx or CruiserMaxx Vibrance seed care products by qualifying for the Partner Program.

Syngenta has also added a Crop Enhancement Bonus this year. Farmers qualifying for the Partner Program can earn an additional $2 per acre rebate on Astound and Quilt fungicides when matched with acres treated with Traxos, Sierra 2.0, Broadband or Axial products.

If you participated in 2012, you’re automatically registered for 2013. Otherwise, to register call the Syngenta Customer Resource Centre at 1-877-964-3682.

UAP

UAP explains that it keeps things simple with competitive net pricing — no hassles and no rebate forms. †

The post Pricing programs for 2013 appeared first on Grainews.

World-wide, there are 24 weed species that have developed resistance to glyphosate. In Canada there are documented cases ofthree glyphosate resistant weeds: giant ragweed, horsetail, and in 2012 glyphosate resistant kochia was confirmed in Alberta. The discovery of Group 9 resistant kochia is even more troubling because in some cases the plants were also resistant to Group 2 chemistry, severely limiting the control options that are left for this tough to control weed species.

To prevent further herbicide resistance development there are best practices which every farmer should follow when applying herbicides. This includes herbicide use for pre-seed burn-off. The DuPont Canada Crop Protection website (go to www.dupont.com, then type “pre-seed burn-off” into the search box) outlines these pre-seed burn-off best practices.

Glyphosate burn-off products

There is one more practice that farmers need to add to DuPont’s best practices list: know your herbicides.

This is especially important for glyphosate given the many brand names glyphosate is sold under. Not all glyphosate brands are the same in terms of formulation, registered usages, tank mixes or strength but all are equally susceptible to the development of resistance. Once glyphosate resistance develops, it will extend to all glyphosate brands. Simply rotating brands of glyphosate will not prevent resistance development.

As of December 2012, the Alberta Agriculture herbicide selector website listed 22 registered brands of glyphosate that farmers could use for pre-seed burn-offs. There will likely be more names added by spring. All of these herbicide brands have only glyphosate as the active ingredient.

Glyphoste tank mixtures

Instead of relying on glyphosate alone for a burn-off, there are a number of pre-packaged products which combine glyphosate with second product that has a different mode of action.

These products offer the broad spectrum control of glyphosate plus another active ingredient to control weeds which glyphosate may be weaker on like buckwheat or dandelion or to control roundup ready volunteers. Having two active ingredients also reduces the chances of development of herbicide resistance.

However, farmers need to know the second active ingredient in these prepacks. In many cases it may be the same active you will be using in-crop. This can increase resistance issues for the second active.

An alternative to using a prepackaged mix of glyphosate and a second active is to tank mix an existing herbicide with glyphosate on farm. There are 11 registered glyphosate tank mix options for pre-seed burn-off at time of writing.

Monsanto, the original manufacturer of glyphosate, is in fact recommending tank mixing Roundup Transorb HC with Heat to optimize weed control in pre-seed burn-offs. In a December 10, 2012 news release, Sean Dilk, weed management technical lead, Monsanto Canada states: “Mixing heat with Roundup Transorb HC is an important part of sustainable weed management for reduced tillage operations.”

Joel D. Johnson, BASF’s brand manager, Western herbicides, adds: “By using multiple modes of action, you can delay herbicide resistance. Mixing HEAT with Roundup Transorb HC provides a second mode of action for pre-seed burn-off and chemfallow treatments. Not only do you get the fastest and sharpest burndown, it’s effective in managing volunteer canola (all biotypes) and kochia as well as many other tough perennial and annual weeds.”

To promote the use of the Roundup Transorb HC and Heat tank-mix, Monsanto and BASF are offering a $0.50 per acre discount on Roundup Transorb HC when farmers purchase matching acres of Heat and Merge. The discount will be available at participating retailers on products sold between Nov 15, 2012 and June 30, 2013.

Non-glyphosate burn-off

Unfortunately there are very few alternatives to the low cost, pre-seed in multi-crops, broad spectrum weed control glyphosate offers. However, there other products registered for use in specific crops that farmers can consider using. When compared to glyphosate, each of these have disadvantages which must be factored in to your herbicide selection decision.

However, these products enable farmers to occasionally rotate away from glyphosate. †

The post Pre-seed burn-off herbicides appeared first on Grainews.

Group 11 fungicides

The fungicides being promoted for having plant health benefits are the Group 11 Qol strobilurin fungicides. The active ingredients of this fungicide group were first derived from wood rotting mushrooms in 1992 and the first fungicides of this group launched in the U.S. in 1996. Today there are about two dozen Group 11 fungicide products sold in North America (eight with registration for use in Canada) for use in a wide range of crops.

Headline, a BASF product registered for the use in Canada in cereals, peas, chickpeas, beans, lentils, flax, soybeans, sugar beets, potatoes, oilseeds, and grasses and legumes grown for seed, is the fungicide most often associated by Canadian farmers with plant health benefits.

BASF has coined the term AgCelence to promote these benefits to growers. Jason Leitch, BASF fungicide brand manager, says, “Research has shown the use of AgCelence fungicides results in greener leaves, stronger stems, increased root development, reduced plant stress and better utilization of nitrogen. The plant is more efficient in converting nutrients into yield.” According to Leitch, farmers are getting an average of three more bushels of canola per acre because of the AgCelence benefits of a Headline application in canola.

Leitch says that all BASF fungicides which have the active ingredient pyraclostrobin provide farmers with AgCelence benefits. Besides Headline, this includes Headline Duo for use in peas and lentils and Twinline in cereals. As well, BASF will be offering two new fungicide products that promise plant health benefits in 2013.

Priaxor DS is a premix of the Group 11 fungicide pyraclostrobin (the active in Headline) and a brand new Group 7 active, Xemium, for use in peas, chickpeas and lentils. Leitch says: “Priaxor is able to move around in the leaf so it provides more consistent, continuous control of disease. Growers will also see larger pods, more consistent seed size, improved harvest-ability and up to three bushels per acre more yield.”

The other new fungicide BASF will be marketing is a seed treatment product: Insure Cereal. This is the first Group 11 seed treatment registered for use in cereals in Canada and the only strobiliurin seed treatment marketed with the claim that it provides plant health benefits. Insure Cereal is a cereal seed treatment with three actives. Group 11 pyraclostrobin is combined with a Group 3 active, triticonazole, and a Group 4 active, metalaxyl — both of which are already components of a number of popular seed treatment products. Leitch says the addition of pyraclostrobin in the Insure Cereal premix results in better emergence and increased seedling vigour. “It provides a jump start to the crop.”

Not rocket science

Dr. Paul Vincelli, plant path-ologist at the University of Kentucky, has studied Qol fungicides and says: “Strobiliurin fungicides have a number of physiological effects on plants and most are positive. Most researchers have no doubts this group of fungicides offers plant health benefits. However, this is not rocket science and the outcome is not guaranteed. The hardest question to answer is how often these benefits occur.”

In 2011, Vincelli compared the plant health benefits of Headline with another popular fungicide in field scale, repeated, randomized trials. In fact, the trials were so big that the fungicides were flown in by aircraft. According to Vincelli, there were real, substantial differences noted in two of the three trials.

In Trial 1, there was no difference in the yield of the white corn but there was a slightly better straw strength in the Headline-treated areas.

Yellow corn treated with Headline yielded 20 bushels more than the control and had better straw strength in Trial 2.

There was a 27-bushel improvement in the Headline-treated yellow corn in the third trial.

All of the trials were disease free so Vincelli attributes the improved straw strength and yield to the plant health benefits of the strobiliurin fungicide.

Still, Vincelli is of the opinion that the likelihood of disease should be the criterion farmers use in deciding whether or not to use a fungicide rather than potential plant health benefits. “University plant pathologists will say disease risk is the best indicator of economic benefit from fungicides.”

Vincelli also says farmers should time their application of fungicides for disease control. “The best time to put on a fungicide is the early reproductive stage. I can’t convince myself to go earlier. We see no measureable long-term disease control from earlier applications.”

Finally, Vincelli warns farmers of the high risk of resistance development to Group 11 fungicides. “Strobiliurin fungicides are very susceptible to resistance development. However, in just the last few months we have identified a genetic quirk in some fungi that development of high resistance to strobiliurin fungicides is lethal in itself to those diseases. However, fungi can certainly develop moderate levels of resistance to strobiliurin fungicides.”

Syngenta’s Group 11 fungicides

BASF is not the only pesticide manufacturer marketing Group 11 strobiliurin fungicides. However, most of the other companies in the market have made a decision to promote their products only on the basis of their products’ performance in combating disease. Part of the reason for this is Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s (PMRA’s) stringent documentation requirements and proof of performance before any claims can be made. Given the inconsistency in plant health responses, most companies have decided not to make these claims of improved plant health or yields for their Group 11 fungicides.

Syngenta was one of the first companies to isolate the strobiliurin active back in 1992 and its research has shown there are four physiological effects within plants that has been sprayed with a Group 11 product.

First, and the only performance claim Syngenta makes when marketing Quilt (which has the Group 11 active azoxystrobin), is very good broad-spectrum disease control.

Syngenta researchers have also noted three other changes within the plant itself which can result in plant growth and yield benefits. Rob Klewchuk, Syngenta’s technical lead for Western Canada identifies these factors.

“There can be improved C02 assimilation which enhances photosynthesis. Group 11 fungicides seem to help a plant manage C02 and fix the C02 carbon for higher yields.”

“Second, these strobiliurin fungicides preserve green leaf area. Plants sprayed with Quilt stay green longer, which allows the plant to realize its full genetic potential. These plants follow their natural path to maturity more closely — even when stressed by environmental conditions like drought.”

“Third, there is improved water- use efficiency. These fungicides act as a respiratory inhibitor by reducing loss of water from the leaf.”

Klewchuk says growers who use Quilt have noted a difference in straw colour and straw strength between treated and untreated areas of fields. They have reported treated fields stay greener longer, have better standability, and even higher yields. However, Klewchuk insists excellent disease control is a strong reason for using Quilt and that is one factor, along with yield and quality, promoted in its marketing.

Still, it is interesting to note that in the U.S. where regulations governing the marketing of pesticides are less stringent, Quilt is also promoted for its plant health benefits. Syngenta has even coined a term for marketing such plant health benefits: Plant Performance.

Arysta LifeScience products

Arysta LifeScience is another company actively marketing a Group 11 fungicide for plant health benefits in the U.S.

Disarm, with the active fluoxastrobin, is a Group 11 fungicide registered for use in turfgrasses and ornamentals in the U.S. Online advertisements for this product state: “Disarm is now proven to increase plant health.” Ads also state: “in a new study conducted by a major university, Disarm was also proven to show superior plant health benefits.”

Arysta also markets a concentrated strobiliurin fungicide, Evito, for use in corn and soybeans in the U.S. An Evito online marketing page states: “Evito provides the plant health effect that you have grown to expect; those include increased efficiency of carbon assimilation, nitrogen fixation, and water utilization, among others. Plants you treat with Evito will have greater tolerances to adverse conditions and recover more quickly, giving you maximum yield potential.”

It is important to note that Disarm is not registered for use in Canada. In mid-December 2012 Arysta LifeScience received conditional registration from PMRA for Evito 480 for use in cereals, turf- grasses, soybeans, and a number of horticultural crops in Canada. Evito 480 has the same active as Disarm and Evito. I was unable to confirm with a representative of Arysta LifeScience if and when this product will be available to western Canadian growers or how it will be marketed here.

Use fungicides wisely

Research is showing there are definitely plant health benefits that result from using Group 11 fungicides. However those benefits do not always result in higher yields. Disease control should be the No. 1 reason to use any Group 11 fungicide.

Equally important is preventing the development of disease resistance to Group 11 fungicides by following good agronomic practices. These include refraining from using the same fungicide product or group more than once per season. Rotate to a different fungicide group each year. Use fungicides that have multiple modes of action or tank mix fungicides with different modes of action if such use is allowed. Follow label directions. Scout fields before and after applications to make sure the use of the fungicide is required and that it worked. If control of disease has not been achieved, consult a plant pathologist.

Editor’s note: as this article was going to press, a spokesperson for Arysta LifeScience confirmed that conditional Canadian registration of Evito 480 has been received, but Evito 480 will not be commercially available for use in Canada in 2013. †

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Arysta LifeScience

Arysta LifeScience had an early purchase offer for Everest 2.0. Farmers who purchased an Everest 2.0 SmartBoy (10 specially packaged jugs of Everest 2.0) prior to January 31 received an instant discount of $1,200 per SmartBoy.

BASF

The BASF 2011 GrowForward Rewards program has undergone some changes and been renamed BASF AgSolutions Rewards. Changes in this year’s program include up to five per cent savings opportunities with Heat and Ares herbicides; five per cent savings on Twinline fungicide, and ten per cent savings on Caramba fungicide. The list of qualifying products has also been greatly expanded.

In order to qualify for the program, a farmer must purchase a minimum 300 acres of any one or combined total of: Banvel II, Charter RTU, Equinox, Gemini, Gladiator, Heat, Lance, Pursuit, FlaxMax DLX, Basagran, Basagran Forte, DyVel, DyVel DSP, and Clearfield Production System seed. Seed purchases are worth double the acres, so a 150 acre seed purchase will qualify you for the AgSolutions savings.

The total acreage of qualifying purchases will determine the saving percentage you are eligible for on purchases of Heat, Solo, Odyssey brands, Viper, Solo, Tensile, Absolute, Altitude FX, Ares, and Basagran Forte. Rebates start at two per cent for 300 acres of qualifying purchases and increase in increments to five per cent if you have 7,500 acres or more of qualifying purchases.

Each acre of product on which you earned a rebate further qualifies you to four acres of savings on fungicides. The savings rates are five per cent on Twinline, ten per cent on Caramba, 15 per cent on Headline, and 20 per cent savings on Lance fungicides.

BASF has also refined their Seed Treatment and DyVel offer. A purchase of a minimum 300 acres of any Clearfield crop and/or BASF fungicide qualifies farmers to receive $1 per acre off all purchases of BASF fungicides, DyVel and DyVel DSp used on their farm.

For all BASF rewards, products must be purchased between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012.

Farmers must have submitted a signed consent form (available through retailers) by November 30, 2012 in order to receive a rebate. Further information is available by calling BASF AgSolutions at 1-877-371-2273.

Bayer CropScience

Bayer CropScience is continuing the BayerValue program for 2012. This program provides a rebate to farmers based on the mix of Bayer CropScience products purchased and the total value of the purchases. There are three saving levels. Farmers qualify for the first level by purchasing $10,000 or more of Bayer CropScience products. The second level requires a purchase of $40,000 or more, and the top level requires a purchase of $75,000 or more.

The rebate rates have increased for 2012. Under the Rewards segment, farmers who qualify for a reward will receive a rebate of three, four or five per cent on purchases of 160 acres or more of Tundra. Qualified farmers using 160 acres of Velocity m3 or Varro, or using Prosaro or Folicur EW are eligible for six, eight, or 10 per cent rebates on these products. Qualified farmers will save 12, 16, or 20 per cent on Infinity purchases. Farmers who purchase at least $10,000 worth of Bayer CropScience products or purchase 300 acres of InVigor seed also qualify for $1 per acre savings on Raxil, Trilex AL Decis, and Sevin XLR purchases.

All Bayer CropScience products purchased between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012 qualify for savings.

There is also an Early Booking component in the BayerValue Program. Farmers who book a minimum 300 acres of InVigor seed prior to January 31, 2011 will earn an additional three per cent off Velocity m3, Varro, and Tundra purchases, five per cent more off on Prosaro and Folicur EW, and 25 per cent off Proline purchases.

Bayer CropScience has also announced a Cereal Winter Sale that reduces the price of Velocity m3, Tundra, Varro, Buctril M, Thumper, and Puma Advance by five per cent if purchased by March 9, 2012.

New for 2012 is the Strong Start Savings program. A farmer can save an additional $1 on Raxil WW seed treatment purchases with matching acres of either Folicur EW fungicide or Prosaro fungicide.

Farmers who participated in the 2011 BayerValue programs are automatically re-enrolled for 2012. New farmers can contact the Bayer CropScience Rebate Fulfillment Interaction Center at 1-888-283-6847 before May 1 to register for rewards.

Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences is continuing to offer the Dividends program it introduced last year. Rewards are calculated as a dollar per acre type payment. The actual amount per acre is dependent on the mix of products a farmer uses. Dow AgroSciences products have been categorized into four groups. The first group of cereal grass products includes Tandem, Simplicity, and Liquid Achieve, and a farmer must use a minimum 320 of any one or combination of these three herbicides to qualify for a rebate. New for 2012 is the addition of 320 acres of Nexera as a qualifying purchase.

Once qualified, a farmer can earn a rebate by matching those qualifying acres with purchases of a Dow AgroSciences cereal broadleaf product (the second group of products) and/or a canola and special crop product (the third group). In the 2012 program, Tandem will automatically qualify for the $1 per acre reward without requiring matching acres from other categories. Another change is Liquid Achieve will no longer be eligible for a rebate, but can still be used as a builder to qualify other products for a reward.

Dow AgroSciences glyphosate products constitute the fourth group category and, if purchased, will increase any reward the farmer has qualified for.

The company is also continuing the Bulk Up component of the Dividends program. Purchases of bulk packaged Tandem, Simplicity, Liquid Achieve or PrePass before February 20 will increase the reward by up to $1.50 an acre. Rebates also increase with bulk package purchases of Attain XC, OcTTain, Frontline XL, or Stellar, Prestige XC made before April 20.

A farmer participating in both components of Dividends could save up to $5.50 an acre on Dow AgroSciences purchases. A Dividends calculator can be found at www.dowagrodividends.ca which will help farmers estimate their rebate under this new program.

Farmers who have not previously completed an offer form giving Dow AgroSciences permission to collect the information needed for calculating the rebate must do so before November 30. Further information is available from the Dow AgroSciences Solutions Center at 1-800-667-3852.

DuPont

After a successful launch in 2011, DuPont, is again offering the DuPont Crop Protection FarmCare Connect Grower Program in 2012. This program is being offered in partnership with Pioneer Hi-Bred and enables farmers to save up to 22 per cent when they purchase Pioneer brand canola seed and select DuPont crop protection products. To qualify, farmers must purchase a minimum of 14 bags (140 acres) of eligible Pioneer brand canola seed between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012 and purchase DuPont crop protection products between November 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012.

The combined purchases of Pioneer canola seed and DuPont crop protection products determine the farmer’s rebate level within FarmCare Connect. The more a farmer purchases, the higher the rebate level applied. For example, a total purchase of $6,000 entitles the farmer to a rebate of four per cent, and a total purchase of $50,000 would qualify for a rebate of eight per cent. The rebate percentage grows incrementally to a maximum 12 per cent for farmers purchasing $100,000 or more of Pioneer canola seed and DuPont crop protection products.

New for 2012, farmers can boost their rebates up to 22 per cent with the Matching Acre Bonus. Farmers purchasing 320 acres of qualifying DuPont herbicides, such as DuPont Assure II herbicide and Express brand herbicides can receive additional savings on select cereal herbicides including DuPont Barricade, DuPont PrecisionPac and DuPont Harmony brands.

To sign up for FarmCare Connect, see your local Pioneer or DuPont sales representative or participating independent or Co-op retailer. For more information call 1-800-667-3925 or visit www.farmcare.ca.

MANA

MANA has a corporate philosophy of “Fair Price-Brand Results” and as such it doesn’t offer rebate or reward programs.

Monsanto

Monsanto has a number of new programs for farmers planting DeKalb brand seed in 2012. First there was an early order cash discount of seven per cent off for purchases prior to November 23, 2011 and four per cent off for purchases prior to January 25, 2012.

Farmers who purchase Dekalb Seed at full suggested retail price between September 1, 2011 and June 15, 2012 with the AgriCard credit card will have all interest charges waived from the time of purchase until October 31, 2012.

Farmers who have to reseed any canola crop due to adverse environmental conditions between April 1, 2012 and the local crop insurance deadline for reseeding will receive a re-seed discount of $100 per 22.7 kilogram bag if they re-seed to a Dekalb brand canola.

Farmers who purchase 73-45RR canola are eligible for a $0.40 per acre discount on Roundup WeatherMAX for matching acres of 73-45RR.

Farmers purchasing canola or corn seed and a minimum of 1,200 pounds of ESN Smart Fertilizer for each bag of seed purchased from retailers selling both seed and ESN fertilizer may also be eligible for an additional early purchase discounts on the seed. The discount under this program for canola purchased before December 31, 2011 is $7 per bag or if purchased before March 31, 2012 is $4 per bag. Corn discounts are $5 per bag if purchased before December 31 and $2 per bag if bought before March 31. Full details of these Monsanto programs are available at your local Dekalb brand retailer.

Nufarm

Nufarm was the first company to move to a “no program” philosophy and doesn’t offer rebates or bundle products. It does offer sales on individual products from time to time, through retailers.

Syngenta

Syngenta is continuing the Syngenta Partner Program for 2012. As in past years, purchasing qualifying Syngenta products made you eligible for savings on most Syngenta products. However, in 2012, the minimum purchase of qualifying products has been reduced. Now farmers can qualify for savings with a combined minimum of just 160 acres of any of the following products: Axial, Traxos, Horizon NG, Broadband, Sierra, and/or Axial iPak or by purchasing a combined minimum of 960 acres of Pulsar and/or Target or by purchasing 160 acres of WR859 CL wheat.

Rebates are calculated by totalling the purchases of the above products plus purchases of most other Syngenta seed care products, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and non-selective herbicides. A total purchase value of $10,000 earns a farmer a three per cent rebate and this increases incrementally up to a nine per cent savings for purchases of $150,000 plus. Helix Xtra, Traxion, and most Syngenta seed are not eligible for savings but purchases of these can be used as builder products to increase the rebate.

Syngenta is also offering the Pre-Seed Bonus program again. Farmers applying Touchdown Total or Traxion can save $1 per acre on matching acres of ApronMaxx, Dividend XL, or CruiserMaxx seed care products by qualifying for the Partner Program and purchasing a minimum of $10,000 in Partner Program qualifying products.

Farmers who participated in the 2011 partner program are registered for 2012. Farmers who did not receive a rebate in 2011 should call the Syngenta Customer Resource Center at 1-877-964-3682 to register.

UAP

UAP and their retailers keep it simple with competitive net pricing to the farmer. No hassles and no rebate forms to forget to send in. †

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to maintain a good chemistry rotation and prevent the development of weed resistance, farmers need to know the active ingredient in a product, not just the brand name. This is especially important with Group 1 grassy products. There are thousands of cases of confirmed wild oat resistance to Group 1s. Between four and 10 million acres in Western Canada have Group 1 resistant wild oats.

With so many generics on the market, it’s becoming increasingly important to know your actives. Farmers may believe they’re using a new product when they choose a chemical with a different name, but the new chemical may have exactly the same active ingredient as the one that was used last year.

Another consideration is the increase in multi-group products. A product listed as Group 2 and Group 4 may have the same Group 2 active you used last year for the same weed spectrum.

The following tables identify the active Group 1 ingredients in all the Group 1 grassy weed control products that are listed in the 2011 Alberta Crop Protection Guide and registered for use on the prairies. (Next year, there will likely be even more names on the list. Between July 1 and November 15, 2011, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency had already received four applications for new clodinafop propargyl herbicides.) The table also shows the registration date for each product, the manufacturer who registered each generic, as well as any other actives co-packed or preformulated in the herbicide.

Play close attention to the registrant of the generic. If the registrant of the generic is the same company that registered the original brand, there is a greater likelihood that the inert products in the generic will be the same as in the original brand name. There are four key active ingredients.

1. Clodinafop propargyl

Original product: Horizon 240EC (Syngenta) received Canadian registration April 19, 1995

There are two tables incluing this active ingredient — one on the previous page, and one on this page listing co-packs with grass and broadleaf herbicides.

2. Fenoxaprop-p-ethyl

Original product: Acclaim (Agrevo) received Canadian registration May 9, 1989.

3. Pinoxaden

Original product: Crestivo (Syngenta) received Canadian registration October 27, 2005.

4. tralkoxydim

Original product: Achieve DG (Syngenta) received Canadian registration March 20, 1992.

Knowing these details will assist in planning your herbicide rotations and also make it easier to compare Group 1 products on the market. †

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Group 2 broadleaf weed resistance has become a big problem in areas of Western Canada. In the 2007 Alberta weed survey, Group 2 resistant chickweed was found in 40 per cent of the surveyed fields that had chickweed populations. The previous 2001 weed survey had documented Group 2 resistant chickweed in only 17 per cent of fields.

In fields with cleavers, 17 per cent had Group 2 resistant biotypes in 2007. In 2001 none of the surveyed fields had resistant cleavers.

The author of the 2007 Weed Survey Report, Dr. Hugh Beckie wrote: “resistance is steadily increasing in chickweed and spiny annual sow-thistle, and most recently, cleavers.”

Furthermore, a study by Leeson in 2005 found the abundance of cleavers is increasing faster than any other weed.

What can farmers do about it

It is important that farmers rotate herbicide groups to slow the spread of Group 2 resistant chickweed and cleavers or we will end up in the same situation we now have with kochia and spiny annual sow thistle. In the 2007 weed survey, every field with spiny annual sow thistle and 85 per cent of fields with kochia were Group 2 resistant. We have basically lost the use of Group 2 herbicides to control these two weeds already. We definitely do not want to add chickweed and cleavers to this list.

Fortunately, growers have quite a few herbicide options for controlling chickweed and cleavers. In fact, the online Alberta Herbicide Selector lists over 30 products and over 150 tank mix combinations that will control cleavers at the 3-4 leaf stage in wheat. However, over half of the products which control cleavers are Group 2 actives. So it is very important that you take the time to study which actives will control cleavers and chickweed in your cereals because you have the most herbicide options in those crops. Make sure you rotate the group 2 broadleaf products with other chemistries that will also control these weeds. The accompanying table categorizes herbicides which will control or suppress chickweed and cleavers in wheat and barley into the group and active ingredients.

Famers have fewer options for controlling these two weeds in other crops. Growers of Clearfield canola can control both cleavers and chickweed with Absolute, Odyssey and Odyssey DLX, but these products are all Group 2s. These products will provide season long control of later flushes. Solo and Tensile, also group 2s, do not control chickweed but will supress cleavers. Again, both are Group 2s.

Liberty and all brands of glyphosates will control both cleavers and chickweed in Liberty Link and Roundup Ready canola systems. However these products only control the emerged weeds at time of spraying. They provide no control of second flushes.

Pulse growers have even fewer options. Most pulse growers rely on Group 2 products like Odyssey, Pursuit, or Solo in pulse crops. The only other option they have is Group 6 bentazon products like Basagran or using a pre-plant incorporated product like Edge.

Herbicide resistance

Herbicide resistance is a growing problem. Extrapolation of the 2007 Alberta Weed Survey results indicates there could be up to 3.1 million acres in Alberta alone where one or more weeds are resistant to one or more products. This is 40 per cent of the cropland in the province. Make sure you are doing everything possible to slow the increase of resistant weeds, including rotating your herbicides through all groups when controlling weeds like chickweed and cleavers. †

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Because of the multi-functionality of the sprayer, many farmers are investing $200,000 and more in a high-clearance sprayer that promises the capability to handle all of these tasks. It’s surprising then how many farmers balk at spending $500 for a set of new nozzles for the sprayer. After all, the nozzle is arguably the most important component on a sprayer. “It is the nozzle which largely determines the efficacy of the pesticide, the amount of drift, and the overall satisfaction with the spray operation. All the other components — the horsepower, the suspension, the size of the tank, simply support the operation of the nozzle,” says Tom Wolf, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon.

Perhaps the fact the cost of nozzles make up less than one per cent of the investment in a new sprayer is the reason many farmers pay such little attention to them. However, not all nozzles are the same, not all can do the same job, and unless you match the nozzles to the task at hand, you will not be satisfied with the performance of the application, no matter how big or shiny the sprayer is.

MATCH NOZZLE TO USE

According to Wolf, there are four rules for nozzle selection. The first rule is to know what you need your sprayer to do and select a nozzle that is best for meeting those needs. There are four basic categories of nozzles and each has advantages and disadvantages.

The conventional flat fan nozzle is the best for low water volumes but is very drift prone and cannot be used at high pressures (use at 20 to 60 PSI). The pre-orifice nozzle will reduce drift by up to 50 per cent, but is not quite as good at low water volumes as the flat fan nozzle and requires a slightly higher pressure (use at 30 to 60-plus PSI). The low-pressure air induced nozzle reduces drift a little more (50 to 70 per cent) at 30 to 60-plus PSI but should not be used if applying volumes of less than five gallons per acre (gpa). The high-pressure air-induced nozzle provides the best drift protection (70 to 90 per cent reduction) but requires pressures over 60 PSI and should not be used for applications of less than seven gpa.

Water volume is of prime concern to most farmers, and matching the water volume to the spray task is Wolf’s second rule in nozzle selection. “The coarser your spray, the higher the water volume must be,” says Wolf. He explains very coarse sprays may not provide enough droplets per square centimetre to hit all weeds, especially when they are very small as are typically found in pre-seed burn-off applications. Contact herbicides (Groups 6, 10, 14, 22, and 27), insecticides, and fungicides also need higher water volumes to provide enough coverage for the pesticide to be effective. Finally, the taller and thicker the crop canopy, the more water that is needed.

WATER VOLUME

PRESSURE CONSIDERATIONS

The third rule, according to Wolf, is consideration of the pressure you will be using. Every nozzle has an optimum operating pressure which provides the intended droplet size and the proper spray pattern. Each nozzle also has a working range at which the nozzle provides acceptable coverage. Increasing pressures beyond the working range decreases droplet size and increases drift. Pressures below the recommended rates for that nozzle will result in a poor spray pattern. Choose a nozzle for which the midpoint of the operating pressure range matches the pressure you want to spray at. This ensures the nozzle will still provide satisfactory results as the pressure varies as you speed up and slow down.

UNIFORMITY

Finally, a farmer needs to select a nozzle that will provide a uniform spray pattern across the boom. Ideally, you want 100 per cent overlap of nozzle coverage. You already know the nozzle needed for the speed and pressure at which you will be operating at, so now you must determine the nozzle angle to give you the proper pattern overlap for the boom height you will be operating at.

Once you have identified the nozzle you need, you can refine your choice based on material the nozzle is made of (plastic, stainless steel, ceramic), nozzle orientation, (straight down, backward, forward, or dual tip), manufacturer and, of course, cost.

Nozzle manufacturers are assisting farmers in making informed choices by publishing detailed spray-quality charts that identify droplet size at various pressures, flow rates and travel speeds for each size of nozzle. As well, nozzles are now colour coded by size.

Also, droplet size has been colour coded to give growers a quick visual representation of the quality of spray they can expect. Droplet size colour coding is: red — very fine, brown — fine, yellow — medium, blue — coarse, green — very coarse, and white — extremely coarse droplet size. These charts are available in spray catalogues as well as online on manufacturer’s websites.

“When selecting a nozzle, you must first know your needs. Then select a nozzle that not only meets those needs, but will work well over a wide range of pressure and travel speeds. Almost certainly, growers will need more than just one nozzle given the range of spray operations. And there is no nozzle that will rescue you if you do not follow good spray practices,” says Wolf.

GeraldPilgerfarmsatOhaton,Alta.

———

What’s New In Nozzles

Here’s a rundown of what’s new in nozzles for the Canadian market this year.

HYPRO GUARDIANAIR

This new spray nozzle is the result of a collaboration of research between HyPro and Syngenta. It offers a number of unique features including a rearward spray incline of 10 to 13 degrees which provides more complete plant coverage at high travel speeds. This nozzle also creates more droplets per gallon of water than most other air-induced nozzles.

The biggest feature of this nozzle is that it offers a consistent spray pattern of medium and coarse droplets at a wide range of pressure — from 15 to 115 PSI.

It is available in seven different sizes to offer growers an optimized nozzle for travel speeds from three to 20 miles per hour.

TEEJET AIR INDUCTION TWIN JET

This is an air induction flat fan nozzle that creates both a forward and rear spray pattern with 60 degrees of separation. This twin pattern increases coverage and crop penetration.

This tip has a working pressure range of 20 to 90 PSI and is available in six different sizes for a wide range of travel speeds.

The nozzle offers excellent drift control by producing coarse to very coarse droplet sizes and is ideally suited to post-emergence applications.

C-SPRAY CVI TWIN

This is a new, low-pressure, air induction, dual-pattern flat fan nozzle. It offers 65-degree separation between the forward and rear-facing spray patterns to provide better crop penetration.

What makes this nozzle unique is the ceramic insert which provides both chemical and wear resistance resulting in long-lasting precision. The ceramics also allow this nozzle to be used with any types of chemicals and fertilizers including acids. Ceramics can last up to 10 times longer than stainless steel nozzles.

This nozzle provides a uniform spray patter at 20 to 60 PSI. The coarse droplets produced at this pressure result in very low drift potential.

HARDI MINIDRIFT DUO

This is a twin-pattern nozzle with 30-degree forward and 30-degree rearward spray patterns to provide better penetration of crop canopy and coverage of leaf surface.

This nozzle produces a medium to very-coarse pattern at a wide range of pressures, and also has large air inlets to minimize the risk of blockage and to facilitate cleaning of the nozzle.

While there are six sizes of the Minidrift nozzle available in North America now, the Minidrift Duo is still only sold in Europe. However, it is expected the Minidrift Duo will be available some time in 2011 in North America.

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Ergot is a fungal parasite which infects grasses and cereal grains. Unlike other fungal diseases, ergot does not significantly impact yields. The problem is the ergot bodies, which form in the place of seeds, contain alkaloids. These are toxic to both animals and humans. Consumption of ergot can lead to lameness, abortions, convulsions, gangrene and even death in animals. There are also risks to humans. The medieval disease St. Anthony’s fire was likely a result of people consuming flour milled from ergot infested grains. The hallucinogenic side effects of ergot poisoning (ergotism) is thought to have contributed the Salem Witch Trials.

Due to this toxicity, the presence of ergot cannot exceed 0.01 per cent by net weight in No. 1 wheat and livestock feed must not contain more than 0.10 per cent ergot. These levels will be difficult for many growers to achieve given the level of ergot infestation last year.

WIDE-SPREAD INFECTION

Unlike most years, where there are small pockets of ergot here and there on the Prairies, infection was widespread last year, according to Norm Woodbeck, program manager for standards and re-inspection with the Canadian Grain Commission.

To illustrate the extent of the problem, Woodbeck says, “In the 2010 harvest survey we found seven per cent of wheat samples were downgraded from a No. 1 to No. 2 due to ergot, 20 per cent were down graded to a No. 3, and 35 per cent of (last) year’s wheat crop grades feed because of the amount of ergot in the sample.”

While removal of the ergot may improve the grade, there may be other factors that also contributed to the downgrading, he notes. Woodbeck suggests farmers find out not only the grade of the wheat in the bin, but also the grade after cleaning to determine if ergot is the only factor that caused the downgrading. If its removal will result in a higher grade, it may well be worth spending the money to have it cleaned.

HIGHER SUSCEPTIBILITY

According to Woodbeck, last summer’s weather conditions are to blame for the high levels of ergot. Ergot bodies require soil surface moisture in the spring to germinate. The fungal growth from the ergot body produces spores which become airborne. These spores land on the florets of flowering grasses and cereals, and replace the developing seed embryo with a new ergot body. Cool, wet and cloudy weather during flowering of the crop extends the time of flowering and thereby increases the amount of time the plant is susceptible to infection.

There are also a number of agronomic factors linked to ergot infection. Poor fertility can delay maturity or cause uneven maturity which increases the flowering period and results in more infection. Copper deficiency delays flowering and can

No. 2

Feed

No. 2

Feed

No. 2

No. 5

No. 1

Rye No. 2

Special Select Nil

Standard Select No limit

Standard

No. 2

cause male sterility in the plant, which results in florets remaining open longer and increasing the chances of infection.

Some farmers believe new high-yielding wheat varieties are flowering twice and that is the reason ergot is bigger problem, but Agriculture Canada wheat breeder Ron DePauw disputes this.

“The flowering process of new varieties of wheat is similar to that of wheat grown for the last 100 years,” he says.

Instead, DePauw says farmers were likely seeing late-flowering tillers caused by the abnormal growing conditions last year. Because of the weather conditions, many growers observed a second set of tillers which were taller than the primary crop. The flowering of these tillers significantly lengthened the flowering period of the crop as a whole and increased the potential for infection. According to DePauw, under normal growing conditions this second tillering would not have occurred.

Herbicide injury can also lead to increased ergot, says DePauw.

“Some of the new herbicides are a little hotter. The male organ on a plant is very sensitive to herbicide injury and male sterility can result. As a result, the floret of the plant remains open longer looking for pollen, increasing the chances of ergot spores replacing the pollen.”

MANAGING ERGOT

Removal of ergot from grain is possible. Standard cleaning equipment that separates foreign material on the basis of size will work if the ergot is larger or smaller than the grain kernels. Unfortunately, ergot is often the same size as the grain. Furthermore, ergot bodies can easily break from mechanical handling, resulting in more kernel sized pieces of ergot that cannot be cleaned by size.

Gravity table cleaners, which work on the basis of density, are very effective as ergot is less dense than seeds, however, this process tends to be expensive and slow. As with size cleaning, there can be considerable amount of grain left in the screenings. Due to the higher concentration of ergot in the screening, screenings usually cannot be fed to livestock, adding to the cost of disposal.

Colour sorters can do a very good job of removal of ergot from cereal grains because the purplish black colour of the ergot bodies is so different than the colour of the grain, and that also means reduced screening losses. However, there are relatively few colour sorters available for the amount of grain infected on the Prairies.

Seed growers with small, expensive seed lots also have the option of a water bath. Ergot floats, so immersing the seed in a 20 per cent salt water solution and stirring allows the ergot to float to the surface where it can be skimmed off. The seed must then be dried again, of course, further adding to the cost.

The most important consideration before cleaning is to determine if it is economical to clean the grain. Unless you gain a grade or market, it may not be worth the cost.

PREVENTION

The only good news about ergot is the fruiting bodies rarely survive more than one year. Even if ergot was bad in your fields last year, good crop rotation and management practices will minimize the chances of it being a problem in the future. But you need to plant clean seed and rotate between broadleaf and cereal crops, as broadleaf crops are not susceptible to ergot. Avoid planting cereals on fields known to have ergot infected residue, and mow grass in adjacent ditches and water-runs early in July before the grass flowers, says Tom Boyle, regional crops specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Scouting fields for ergot prior to harvest can allow infected areas to be harvested and binned separately to reduce further contamination problems, he says.

Also, use a balanced fertility program, a high seeding rate and seed at a constant depth so the crop matures evenly and flowers quickly. Use the proper rate and timing of herbicides to prevent herbicide injury in the crop. Grassy headlands and ditches are an alternative host for the pest; keep them mowed. If ergot is observed in the field at harvest time, you may want to consider harvesting and storing the production from the perimeter of the field separately as this tends to be where ergot is the worst. Delaying harvesting of standing crop is another option as ergot bodies can fall out of the head, however the risk of downgrading due to weathering will increase.

There may or may not be a varietal difference in ergot susceptibility. Since environmental conditions play such a key role in the occurrence of this disease, it is difficult to know if one variety is more susceptible than another or if it is simply a case of conditions being optimum for ergot infection at the time a particular variety is flowering.

Since there is a difference in when varieties flower, some growers seed more than one crop variety, hoping one variety will flower prior to or after the time when ergot infection is occurring. Other growers try to seed all their cereals at the same time so there is a narrow period of time when flowering is occurring and less chance of infection spreading from field to field.

As far as crops go, triticale and rye tend to be most susceptible of the cereal grains. Of the wheat classes, CPS and amber durum are believed to be slightly less susceptible to ergot infection than the HRS wheats. Oats rarely get ergot.

There are no seed treatments or fungicides which prevent or control ergot.

One final note: Are you sure ergot is your problem? Sclerotina’s over-wintering form, sclerotia bodies, are usually smaller than ergot, but can have a similar appearance. Sclerotinia does not infect cereal crops but if you had a high level of volunteer canola in your cereals due to an inability to spray your crops last year, there is a chance some of what look like ergot bodies could actually be sclerotia bodies. A qualified grader can easily distinguish between ergot and sclerotia bodies.

GeraldPilgerfarmsatOhaton,Alta.

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0.05

0.10

ALLOWABLE GUIDELINES FOR ERGOT IN GRAIN (COURTESY CGC)

Cereal

Wheat

Barley

Type

CWRS / CWHWS

CWSWS

CWAD

CWRW

CWES / CPSW / CPSR

Canadian Western

Malting (2-and 6-row)

Hulless

General Purpose

Grade Name

No. 1

No. 3 / No. 4

No. 1

No. 3

No. 1

No. 3 / No. 4

No. 1 No. 2

Feed

No. 2 Feed

No. 1

No. 3

Select

Select

No. 1

Ergot (per cent of net weight)

0.01

0.02

0.04

0.10

0.01

0.02

0.04

0.10

0.01

0.02

0.04

0.10

0.01 0.04

0.10

0.03

0.06 0.10

0.05

0.20

0.33

0.025

3 K (no. of kernel sized pieces in 500 g)

0.05

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