Difficult spring planting conditions ran the gamut across the Prairies in 2019 from limited to excess moisture; however, moisture levels going into 2020 look adequate, with projected cool, dry conditions.

Regardless, producers should start the season armed with a scouting plan for cereal diseases, says Mallorie Lewarne, agronomy extension specialist for Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association.

Leaf spots

In wheat, producers should be on the lookout for leaf spot diseases, primarily tan spot and the septoria complex, which includes speckled leaf blotch and leaf and glume blotch. Although spot blotch can also attack wheat, it is generally less of a concern.

Kelly Turkington, an AAFC pathology research scientist based in Lacombe, Alta., says diseases of concern will vary depending on the province or region.

Cereal leaf spot diseases typically develop from old, infested crop residues, he says, which means producers with short rotations should be on the alert for these diseases.

In the western Prairie regions where it can be cooler with more rain, barley producers should look out for scald, a rain-splashed pathogen.

Net-form net blotch affects producers across the Prairies, and spot blotch is also increasingly common across those provinces, while spot-form net blotch can also be found, Turkington says.

Lewarne says in Manitoba, the first disease growers should be looking out for this spring should be tan spot, especially if it’s a cool spring and the field has a short wheat rotation.

“It shows up as tan or brown flecks on lower leaves. I would get out there when you’re scouting for weeds, as early as possible,” she says.

Leaf spot diseases are polycyclic, explains Mitchell Japp, provincial cereal crops specialist for Saskatchewan Agriculture, which means pathogens causing these diseases can produce more than one infection per crop cycle.

Producers should be out monitoring as the crop moves toward the flag-leaf stage.

“Protecting those leaves is critical,” says Japp. “In moderate- and low-disease pressure years, if there’s going to be a fungicide application at the head blight timing, it can manage leaf spot, but under high-pressure years you might require two fungicide applications.”

Rusts

Particularly for barley, leaf rust can be an issue, especially in the central to eastern Prairies from mid-June to the beginning of July, says Turkington. Leaf rust typically travels to Western Canada on wind trajectories from wheat in the Texas to Nebraska corridor.

Historically, stripe rust came from the Pacific Northwest, reaching southern Alberta in “half a day,” he says. However, over the last several years, stripe rust of wheat has been an increasing issue in the Texas to Nebraska corridor and the eastern Prairies.

Stripe rust can also overwinter in the Prairies on fall-seeded winter wheat, which means it can start showing up on winter wheat as early as April. “If you have a mild winter with good snow cover and you have a lot of stripe rust on your winter wheat the previous fall, it can survive those fairly mild winters and start developing much earlier than we would normally see,” says Turkington.

Rusts don’t require extremely wet conditions and can develop in a crop under heavy dews.

In Manitoba, Lewarne says compaction stemming from wet harvest conditions is a risk factor for rust.

Fungicide should be applied as soon as stripe rust symptoms are observed and before they cover five per cent of the flag leaf.

Fusarium head blight

Fusarium head blight can cause significant yield loss but chiefly causes concern as a downgrading factor in wheat when the fungus causes fusarium damaged kernels (FDK). In barley, fusarium can cause discolouration and affect malting and brewing quality. In both crops, mycotoxin contamination can also have a significant negative impact.

Fusarium risk maps are available across the Prairie regions. Producers can familiarize themselves with risk factors on each of the provincial agriculture websites, but shouldn’t neglect walking in the field to visually assess the crop and moisture levels, says Japp.

“All cereals, regardless of their resistance rating, are somewhat susceptible, it just depends how much,” says Japp. “Being out in the field and seeing what’s there is really critical.”

In barley, spray timing recommendations typically call for application right after head emergence, but Turkington’s research group is currently looking at later timings. In wheat, too, producers are typically advised to stop spraying once the wheat head has reached half flowering, but new data shows reasonable control up to the end of flowering (BBCH growth stage 69).

“For growers who have a lot of acres to cover, if they’re starting on the front end and get pushed by rain or the number of acres, there is an option where they can go a couple of days later than what’s historically been recommended,” says Japp. “It extends the window a little bit.”

Root rots

Root diseases tend to be overlooked in Western Canada, says Turkington. “Out of sight, out of mind — but they can be an issue,” he says.

Common root rot is an issue in both wheat and barley. The fungus overwinters in crop residue or as spores in the soil and thrives in dry, warm conditions, especially with over-application of nitrogen.

Another root rot that was historically important in the Prairies is take-all root rot, and this disease might regain importance as producers are taking an interest in liming soils to raise pH to address clubroot in canola, says Turkington. As soil pH increases toward neutral, the risk of take-all also increases, he warns.

“It tends to be unusual, but as the name implies, when the fungus infects relatively early in the season due to wet soil conditions, it can destroy most of the root tissue. The tools to manage it are pretty limited, with extended rotations being the main tool, while adequate copper fertilization can lessen its impact.”

For this and the other cereal diseases, Turkington recommends frequent scouting.

“Knowing what’s happening in your field gives you valuable information about whether you need an in-crop application, while also having implications for future crop planning,” he says.

Disease monitoring network

The Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) offers scouting, disease and risk information based on crop development stage in-season. Find them on twitter at @pcdmn.

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Future Analytics Inc. offers “plant sap” testing, which measures the xylem sap in plant leaves as an indicator of nutrient availability, as well as water, soil and bacteria testing, says owner Melissa Werkema.

The lab, which opened in spring 2019, is Werkema’s 10-year dream. She has worked in food testing in Burnaby, B.C. and in plant analysis at the Weizmann Science Institute in Rehovot, Israel.

It was in Israel where Werkema became aware of plant sap testing. “Science is done so differently. I was excited to apply those lessons here,” she says.

The differences, she says, include methods of plant extraction and how results are displayed. For example, plant sap reports offer producers bar graphs showing whether nutrient levels are low or high.

“Right now, labs typically give data to the farmers, and I continuously hear from farmers that some of them don’t know what to do with those numbers,” she says. “The plant sap test shows whether it’s low, on-target or high, so they can look at the report and know what adjustments need to be made.”

The lab will meet a growing need for local testing services, says Werkema. No other local labs offer plant sap testing, which to date has mostly been utilized in horticulture and greenhouses in Western Canada, forcing producers to send samples to Ontario or as far away as the Netherlends.

Water nutrition sampling is also needed locally, she says. She decided to add water testing to Future Analytics’ suite of services after learning that greenhouses in southern Alberta send weekly water samples to Ontario.

“This is what drove me to start the lab, as I believe farmers should have a local, reputable independent lab they can trust and have a one-on-one conversation if need be,” she says.

How does it work?

The idea behind plant sap testing is to compare the xylem sap from the “old leaf” and the “new leaf” of any crop, Werkema explains. “This test replaces traditional tissue analysis and can be considered a kind of ‘blood test’ for plants.”

Plant sap samples are not dried — as they are in traditional tissue testing — so the plant’s current nutrient deficiencies can be detected immediately. “A tissue test measures the total amount of nutrients that the plant has taken up, whereas the plant sap test measures the nutrients that are currently available in the plant,” she says.

Werkema has worked with potato and corn farmers in Taber, Alta, she says, who used the test to confirm nutrient deficiencies they could see in plants that were not detected with standard tissue tests.

“I did a sap test and it showed deficiencies in micronutrients, such as copper, iron and boron, and those were coming out fine from the tissue test,” says Werkema.

A major benefit of plant sap testing is the turnaround: Werkema says she can typically have results within hours.

Tests in the field

Curt Walker is an independent crop consultant in Three Hills, Alta. He says he’d worked with plant sap testing in the past, but samples had to be sent to the Netherlends, which could mean significant delays.

After Werkema reached out to him last year, Walker opted to use sap testing in a local fertility testing trial. The trials involved soil testing to reveal nutrient levels in the soil pre-plant: if phosphorous levels appeared to be high in soil tests, Walker would run strips treated with phosphorous and untreated, and use a plant sap test on the crop to confirm nutritional needs were being met by the soil.

“I was concerned with nutrient tie-up. If we didn’t add phosphorous, I wanted to ensure the uptake was okay. We didn’t want to shortchange the crop in the growing season,” says Walker. “Visually the crop looked good. You couldn’t really tell differences in the treatments, so we used the sap test to confirm the plants were doing well.”

The cost of plant sap testing should be similar to tissue testing — in the range of $40 per test for young leaves and the same for old leaves, for a total of roughly $80 — which should be “a fraction of the overall fertilizer cost, at about $.50/acre on a 160 acre field,” says Walker. The value of the test for producers will likely come down to diagnosing problem fields or detecting micronutrient deficiencies.

“It’s another source of information,” he says.

Werkema says she’s proud to test for local farmers. “They deserve a good local lab where they can come in and meet me and see how their samples are run,” she says. GN

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This is the story of Will and Cindy Lowe and their operation LZ Farms near Kyle, Sask.

Where do you farm?

Our farm name is LZ Farms Inc., and we’re located right around Kyle, Saskatchewan, straight north of Swift Current.

What do you grow?

We have a mixed operation. On the crops side we have about 3 000 acres of peas, lentils, canola, durum wheat and a little bit of barley and oats for feed. And we do about 800 acres of hay as well for the cow-calf side of things.

How long have you been farming?

After working for Cargill Meat Solutions and Northwest Consolidated Beef Producers I started farming full-time in 2011. Cindy works full time as a teacher at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School. My parents, Archie and Lois Lowe, have been farming since 1973. We sit on a century farm — our first relatives bought the land in 1906.

Who do you farm with?

My wife Cindy and my parents. Cindy and I have four kids, Ellie, 15; Hailey, 13; Marshall, 11; and Walker, nine. Ellie is pretty involved during branding season and with farm work. Marshall does some mowing and other jobs. They’re all involved in small ways.

Why did you choose farming?

Actually, I didn’t initially choose farming. When I graduated in 1991, times had been pretty tough for my dad coming through the droughts in the 1980s, so I wasn’t too keen on farming. But after going through university, the city life just wasn’t what I had envisioned, so for me coming back to the farm made sense.

I did an agricultural economics degree at University of Saskatchewan and after I met Cindy we decided we’d like to raise our family close to home. I worked for a bit after school and we bought our first piece of land after our first year of university.

What farming season do you enjoy most?

I would say we enjoy summer the most. For us, with calving, seeding and spraying, spring is a non-stop race, so July is the first opportunity we get to relax a bit and breathe a little. We hay too, but it’s not a breakneck pace to get it done.

What’s the farm implement you can’t live without?

Our feed truck. We bought a feed truck in 2015 with a bale deck for feeding cows, and it’s got a grain box on it for grain or pellets. It gets used throughout the year.

What good decision have you made that turned out well?

I think for us, it was a really good decision to get into cattle. We were strictly a grain operation through most of my upbringing, and for me it was a good decision to diversify our operation. We’ve added more value to our land without having to expand the grain side, and with land prices getting as high as they are around here, it’s a better way of utilizing the land base we currently have.

Have you made a decision on the farm that you regret?

On the opposite side, probably the fact that we didn’t buy land earlier, before it went up 200 per cent. Fifteen years ago, there were opportunities to buy more land, so I guess in hindsight that would have been a good idea. These days, it would be tough to get started as a newcomer or to expand except with the odd quarter here and there.

What do you anticipate your biggest challenge will be over the next five to 10 years?

I think our biggest challenge is connecting with consumers. I think as a small portion of the population, the ag community has trouble connecting with consumers and helping them understand what goes into their food, and that farmers are good stewards of the land and not degrading the environment.

Some of the government policy and red tape has also been a challenge. For example, we have a ton of paperwork for the AgriStability Program. As a diversified operation it’s way more complicated for us than it would be for a straight grain operation. There’s a lot of work that goes into that.

Another challenge is labour. It’s been an issue finding good labour and keeping it throughout the year. We may keep someone for a year or a year and a half, but then they move on. It’s hard to retain employees.

What do you think your biggest opportunity will be over the next five to 10 years?

I think adapting to and utilizing new technologies is a big opportunity — using the data to improve our operation. There is a lot of technology coming at us that may be almost too much to handle at times because it’s information overload, but it’s smart to pick the technologies that are cost-effective and work on your operation. We bought a new drill a few years ago and put variable-rate technology to work for us.

Another opportunity is some of the trade deals and the chance to expand our markets. I think there are good opportunities for agriculture, but we still have to connect with consumers and make sure that we’re doing things right.

What do you like to do for fun or to relax?

We bought a boat last year so we try to spend time on the boat in the summer. The kids are involved in 4-H and sports. We try to get away on a family holiday at least once a year in the wintertime.

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More than seven generations after their ancestors purchased the land in 1843, the Rogers’ 300-acre grain farm in Brae, P.E.I. is still going, thanks to the business acumen and determination of Justin and Laura Rogers, this year’s Atlantic Canada winners of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers award.

It’s been a long road that’s taken some unexpected twists and turns, says Justin. When he was a child, he began to build his beef herd from an orphaned calf given to him by his grandfather and uncle, which gradually grew to 75 head of cows, calves and feeders. At the age of 21, Justin bought his first block of land, and over the last 20 years he’s leased and purchased other parcels of the family land in stages.

Back then, he already understood the beef operation was too small to stay viable long-term, but it was taking all his energy just keeping the business afloat. “We had very little to start with,” says Justin. “I purchased the land and equipment and built my own infrastructure. A lot of it wasn’t too fancy for sure. It was a startup operation even though we were the seventh generation.”

Because his land base was small, Justin opted to grow high-value pedigreed seed potatoes under contract for larger local potato farmers, but he and Laura had to work off the farm to supplement their income — Justin for the Soil and Crop Improvement Association and then as a schoolbus driver, and Laura as a teacher.

After eight years of growing potatoes, and facing major financial issues following the BSE crisis, depressed potato prices and potato virus issues, the family — which now includes Justin and Laura’s children Luke, eight, and Mary, five — decided to change directions. Over a six-year period Justin slowly completed training and put in plots to become a pedigreed seed grain grower.

“We tried to create a one-stop shop for pedigreed seed for rotational crops in our area — small grains, wheat, oats and barley, forages and corn. Our goal is that whatever leaves our operation is excellent. So far, so good,” says Justin. “It’s saved our farm. Had we not plotted that new path with seed production, we would not be still here. We’ve got a long road ahead, but I have a vision for how the farm can make it.”

Picturesque Farms is also in the final stages of converting to a dairy operation. This year, they sold off most of their beef cattle, and early in the new year they’ll complete the conversion.

The Rogers’ farm requires feasibility studies for their major projects, in keeping with their philosophy of environmental and financial sustainability.

“The dairy piece was the final piece of the pie that I wanted to try to get right for this farm,” explains Justin. “I like the supply management model. It’s probably the truest reflection of the actual cost of sustainable food production in our country, and I’ve been on both sides. I’ve been on the open market and when you put your heart and soul into growing an environmentally sustainable crop and you don’t get the cost of production, that puts pressure on everything else.”

Picturesque Farms has seen its share of hardships, but Justin says they’ve received blessings in equal measure. “When you stop and think about it, there’s uncertainty in everything, and there are long hours. But when you have your little ones beside you that’s quite the compensation. And Laura is the kingpin for everything. I feel like a pretty lucky guy,” he says.

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It’s a story about modern farming and what it takes to feed the world, whether farmers are growing commodity crops or organic vegetables. The Bergmanns grow both, and now that they’ve been recognized as regional finalists in Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers competition, their stories about life on the farm will travel even further.

Will’s family has run a grain and finishing hog operation near Glenlea, Man., since 1925. Eight years ago, Will and Jen bought out one of Will’s uncles’ shares in the operation, moved to Glenlea and started farming with Will’s dad and uncle. But they put their own stamp on the business: they added an organic vegetable garden, opened a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription service and began marketing fruit and produce, microgreens and edible flowers to Winnipeg chefs and restaurants. They also partnered with Winnipeg chefs to open their own restaurant, Oxbow, named, Will says, as a tribute to Manitoba farms and farmers.

The Bergmanns have always shared a love of photography, and they harness that passion to share stories about #farmlife on social media — as well as the occasional photos of their kids, Brooklyn, seven; Cole, six; and Emmett, four.

“Farmers all understand that we’re feeding the world but we generally look at it as a commodity rather than filling bellies. But it is that,” says Will. “A while ago we started posting videos on social media about filling the combine hopper, and how many loaves of bread that represented. It helped people to see what it means for us to feed people.”

Will says social media is a “huge” part of the Bergmanns’ efforts to educate consumers. “All the opportunities we’ve had would not have happened without social media,” he says — from partnerships with chefs to connections with the urban population that buys their produce.

It’s crucial for conventional farmers to share what they do on the farm with an urban audience, he adds, because conversations about farms and farming are often led by small-scale producers with a particular point of view. Because they run both a conventional grain farm and a small-scale market garden, Will and Jen can see both sides of the coin.

“My goal is to be able to say that we want safe, nutritious, affordable food for everyone, and it will take all kinds of farms, farming all kinds of ways, to make that happen,” he says.

Over the past several years Will and his father and uncle have placed a major emphasis on data collection and management on the farm. “Even if we can’t process all of it yet, we believe it’s going to be important to the future of farming,” he says. “Data is the new currency, and data-based decisions have become increasingly important on our farm. That will increase exponentially.”

It’s tempting to rely on intuition when making farming decisions, but Will believes it’s more helpful to take emotion out of the equation when it comes to running his operation. “Margins are tight, land values are higher, and we have to become better businesses,” he says.

And a major part of running a farming business, for the Bergmanns, is communicating the value of that business to the public. For Will, it’s about more than just earning a social license to operate. It’s about communicating his passion for life on the farm. “I keep looking for better ways to engage the public,” he says. “That’s how I look to the future.”

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This is the story of Ivan Dueck and his brothers, Marcus and Calvin.

The Duecks farm in Namiquipa, Mexico. Namiquipa is about 230 miles south of El Paso, Texas, in Mexico’s state of Chihuahua. The town has a population of under 2,000 people. The average temperature in Namiquipa in January is 6.3 C. In July, the average temperature is 21.3 C. The area receives, on average, 428 mm of rain every year.

What do you grow?

Most people are amazed to hear we grow apples. We have an orchard of 9,000 mature apple trees which we rent from my grandpa, as well as another young orchard of 11,000 trees we acquired last winter that isn’t in production yet. My grandpa started growing apples 55 years ago. Thirty-eight years ago he planted an orchard here, the first in this small valley. Water is scarce and he was fortunate to have water in his well. Some years later, he added another 3,000 trees. He farmed and took care of the orchard until he was 83 years old, and finally retired, still with good health. We are on our fourth year of renting the land from him.

Besides apples, we grow corn on approximately 840 acres of irrigated farmland. Most is irrigated by pivots/sprinklers and some by flood irrigation. Beside that we have a cow-calf operation and run a herd of approximately 150. We graze them in high country in the mountains surrounding the valley during the summer, the rainy season, and on corn stubble from corn harvest in November until mid-April.

How long have you been farming?

I have always farmed. When I was in school, we had a dairy of 60 cows and my job was to bottle-feed calves. That is one of the earliest chores I recall having to do on the farm. I did truck one summer but I knew I couldn’t stay in a truck with harvest coming up. I worked on a farm in Saskatchewan for three summers, mainly for a change, and came back to farm here again.

Who do you farm with?

I farm with my older brothers Marcus (30) and Calvin (27).

Why did you choose farming?

I chose farming because it was simply my passion. There was nothing that I wanted more than to farm and sit in a good piece of equipment.

What farming season do you enjoy most, and why?

I enjoy fall and harvest. I love the busyness it brings, as well as the one and only paycheck we farmers get in a year.

What’s the farm implement you can’t live without?

Good tractors. Our row crops and flood irrigation require a lot of hours on tractors.

What good decision have you made that turned out well?

We need lots of bales for feeding from mid-April until July and sometimes August, whenever rain comes, so we purchased a big square baler and went into custom baling. That has saved us hiring help and helped pay for the baler.

Have you made a decision on the farm that you regret?

Marketing can be a tough one sometimes — when to sell, when to wait. I have only farmed a few years on my own, so I haven’t made too many major land transactions or risky investments, but there’s never a year one looks back and says everything went as well as it could’ve with marketing or other decisions that could’ve improved a yield here and there.

What do you anticipate your biggest challenge will be over the next five to 10 years?

I think it’s the people that have no idea what goes on in the farm. Yes, you see us spraying our apples numerous times a year, but most spray applications on apples are only calcium, which is in no way strong or dangerous. We spray it numerous times just to be able to store apples and reduce bruising when they’re stored in cold storages for months. We eat everything that we sell off our farms ourselves. One of many challenges we face is that we’re feeding a world that no longer has any idea what’s going on at the farm.

What do you think your biggest opportunity will be over next five to 10 years?

It’s very tough to know. If we consistently have good crops, one opportunity will be to hopefully buy land, which is ridiculously expensive here, if it comes up for sale.

What do you like to do for fun or to relax?

I definitely enjoy team roping with friends and going to small jackpots in the area.

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This is the story of Bernie and Cara McClean and their kids, Keagan, Ayden and Rylan.

Where do you farm?

Cara: We farm around my in-laws’ homestead, in the northwest part of Saskatchewan near the small community of Medstead.

Bernie: Really, we’re from Robinhood, Saskatchewan. Most people know where Glaslyn is, so if people know that I say, “How about Medstead?” When they know where Medstead is, I ask if they know where Robinhood is. That’s the closest hamlet still on the map.

What do you grow?

Bernie: We grow wheat, barley, oats, peas and canola, and we’ve grown hay since 2010 due to wet quarters of land and wet weather. This past summer, we started working with a neighbour who has bison, so starting this May we’ll have bison on our land as well. I seeded the acres and he fenced the land. We have a 10-year agreement.

How long have you been farming?

Cara: We started buying out our in-laws’ land in 1998 and we’ve acquired more land since then.

Bernie: I worked in crop input retail after college and we custom combined with Cara’s parents. I also custom-hauled grain until 2011. By then we felt we had enough debt paid down and so we then began to farm full-time. I don’t custom-haul grain anymore but Cara works as an agricultural commercial lender for Innovation Credit Union. She’ll take time off at harvest and run the combine for us too. We’re now harvesting 1,600 acres of crops.

Who do you farm with?

Cara: Bernie and I farm along with our kids — Ayden is 19 and Rylan is 12. Our daughter, Keagan, has her own family with little kids. During harvest everyone’s hands on deck and helping and we all do lots of parts running.

Bernie: My parents have always helped a ton. They are the reason we are still farming. Without them we would have had a really difficult time. That goes for both our families.

I’m the youngest of six kids. Things are evolving a little bit and this year my oldest brother will be semi-retired and he’s going to start helping out on the farm.

Why did you choose farming?

Cara: When I was growing up I didn’t want to go into farming and I always said I would never marry a farmer. I had a pact with Bernie and we said if he couldn’t farm by the age of 30 he’d become an accountant. Look how that turned out! But I really love farming.

Bernie: Farming is all I ever wanted to do. At times I wonder why. I really can’t complain, but it’s been a journey. We didn’t start with much — three quarters of land and a really old line of machinery. But we’re still here and still getting by. It’s challenging and it’s fun.

What farming season do you enjoy most, and why?

Bernie: for myself, it’s all about spring. We’re coming out of winter, the sun is warm, the spring smells are starting with everything melting, and the air is fresh. I’m invigorated by the warmer temperatures.

Cara: I really enjoy the growing season when you finally see the plants coming up and the fields are green, healthy and strong. It’s absolutely stunning.

What’s the farm implement you can’t live without?

Cara: For me, it’s the zero-turn mower. I love this thing, and the freedom it gives me to get the job done quickly. The boys fight over it, it’s so awesome. But I remember when we bought our seeding tools, we said, if you can’t get it in the ground what’s the point of farming? And we said the same thing for the combine, and then for the sprayer. I think a farmer can justify anything.

Bernie: She’s not wrong. We’re pretty critical before we buy stuff. But for me, I have to say it’s the sprayer. When I was custom-hauling grain I told someone, I’m never going to own my own sprayer unless I can own a newer sprayer with the best technology. And the technology has made this operation one of the more relaxing ones.

What good decision have you made that turned out well?

Bernie: For me, it’s this idea of partnership. I used to own the sprayer with a neighbour and that turned out well. I think we’re better together, and where there are opportunities to team up, for example, with equipment sharing, I think those decisions have worked out well for us. It depends on your equipment and the neighbours you’re working with, as well as how time-sensitive the equipment is. But for us these partnerships have worked pretty well.

Cara: I would say the best decision was attending post-secondary school. It’s given us insight and lifelong careers, and enabled us to build the farm we have.

Have you made a decision on the farm that you regret?

Cara: Nothing really. We’ve come to every decision with a lot of research and number crunching. Nothing we’ve done has been on a whim. Sometimes we’ve tried to acquire things at auction or from a neighbour and it hasn’t worked out, but it hasn’t hurt to try.

Bernie: At times I wonder whether I spent too much time away from the farm and whether I could have been more aggressive. It might have been easier now to get our kids into the fold. It’s not a terrible thing if the kids have to work off the farm for a time. I think if they are truly interested in farming, opportunities will present themselves to the kids as well.

What do you anticipate your biggest challenge will be over the next five to 10 years?

Cara: Market uncertainty, the cost of everything, interest rate increases, and even whether our kids want to stay home and farm.

Bernie: No. 1 is profitability. Whether it’s land, equipment, repairs or crop inputs — everything seems to go up in cost and nothing really comes down. The cost increases are absolutely staggering. We have little control over what we receive for our commodities or what we pay for crop production needs. When you consider all of this and that these costs are associated with debt. Interest rate increases is a big one. If interest rates move even two to three per cent now, that’s going to make it pretty tough.

What do you think your biggest opportunity will be over the next five to 10 years?

Bernie: My mind goes to technology, but I say that with caution, because whether it’s with equipment or plants, these advancements are only an opportunity if the technology is somewhat affordable. It seems like every dollar that could be extracted in advancements is extracted. I know the research side of it is expensive, but the new technologies don’t always equate to more profit for us.

Cara: I think the biggest opportunity for us is in reducing debt and being able to enjoy what we have. And when our kids go to school, it’s exciting if they can bring what they learn back to the farm.

What do you like to do for fun or to relax?

Cara: The busy season is the busy season, and we all appreciate that. If we get away for a day of fishing or a couple of days at the lake in the summer, or can manage get-togethers with friends and family, we appreciate that. We do spur-of-the-moment potlucks. We like to go to a football game (we bleed green!) every year, and the kids also go to the lake with their grandparents.

Bernie: We try to get away on a hot holiday in the winter. Cara likes it more than me but I definitely find some enjoyment in it too. We had this discussion five or six years ago — we’ll have to enjoy the winter time away, because the summer is our season to make a profit.

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This trend isn’t only anecdotal: crime rates are going up in rural areas. According to Statistics Canada, 21 per cent of crime in 2017 took place in rural areas, with rates of violent crime 63 per cent higher in rural communities than urban communities, and rates of property crime 10 per cent higher.

In Manitoba, rural crime rates were 42 per cent higher than urban crime rates in 2017. In Alberta, rural crime exceeded urban crime by 38 per cent, and in Saskatchewan, by 36 per cent.

“These rates directly reflect the increase in HD Video Surveillance and Smart Security systems we are installing for farmers and cabins,” says Virgil Reed, founder and CEO of Saskatoon-based Reed Security.

“We often have inquiries about farmyard protection that includes coverage on homes, shops, barns, bins, storage sheds, equipment and fuel tanks.

“Farmyards are at risk due to slow RCMP response time,” says Reed. The police don’t have enough manpower to service rural areas and distances are a challenge.

Many farmers are leaving properties and vehicles locked at all times to deter theft, he says. But there are also technological solutions to help farmers feel secure. Reed Security offers a range of surveillance systems that can send alerts to farmers’ phones when someone enters their property, as well as remote video monitoring services whereby an emergency operator can log in remotely.

Systems are customizable to integrate with lighting to make it appear as though farmers are home even while travelling. And if intruders enter properties when farmers are home, emergency panic buttons can alert monitoring stations.

Make a plan

Reed says farmers can reduce vulnerability by creating a farm security plan just as they would create fire plans, so that they know exactly what to do in the event an unwanted guest enters their property.

Reed’s mantra is “cameras, not guns”: while most farmers do own firearms, Reed says the law is not in their favour if they decide to use them to defend their property.

“Farmers are embracing new security technology, but a number of farmers that I’ve spoken with wouldn’t hesitate to defend their property and families by any means necessary — including violence,” says Reed.

Cameras, on the other hand, can record footage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provide evidence for police investigations and insurance claims.

“They are a deterrent and provide accountability. They can instantly alert you when a visitor enters your yard. And they are safe and predictable,” says Reed.

Steve Johnston, senior director for commercial and farm at The Co-operators, says most insurers recognize that security systems help to reduce risk. The Co-operators provides discounts on premiums for security systems on farm dwellings and structures.

“If a security system exists, the discount may be built directly into how the insurer calculates the premium rather than requiring a negotiation,” says Johnston.

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But there are better options, says Virgil Reed, founder and CEO of Saskatoon-based Reed Security.

“Farmyard security has always been an issue, but today there’s a lot more awareness about it due to events in the media,” says Reed.

“Farms have poor response times from the police due to their remote locations, so farmers need to take more proactive measures and create a security plan in the event an unwanted visitor comes in their yards. The security plan should include professional security solutions as well as common sense.”

Victor Podkholyuzin, manager of sales and business development with Allen Leigh Security and Communications, based in Brandon, Manitoba, says there’s been an increase in farmyard security system sales volumes over the last two to three years in all three Prairie provinces.

“With the oil prices crush and some overall economical issues the level of rural crime unfortunately significantly increased and farmers don’t feel safe anymore,” says Podkholyuzin.

“We feel the largest contributors to the increase in crime in rural communities include, but are not limited to, a depressed economy and the increased value of scrap metal and automotive parts such as catalytic converters,” says Bill Gammel, business development manager for Edmonton, Alta. based Telsco Security Systems.

Video surveillance systems ensure there are always eyes on farmyard entrances, and as a bonus can also be used to monitor livestock. Gammel says his company can also add on a wide range of features such as temperature and environmental controls.

Not all security systems are created equal, and experts recommend customizing security setups to individual operations’ specific needs.

“Stay away from Wi-Fi cameras and always install wired whenever possible,” cautions Reed. “Wi-Fi cameras are unreliable and the signal is often too weak or has interference. We’ve learned this the hard way over the past 18 years. We do install commercial grade Wi-Fi antennas when we need to connect the home to a shop or barn, but the antennas require direct line of site.”

A sales representative Regina’s Farmtronics adds that farmers shouldn’t settle for a low-end camera in lieu of paying more for a professional setup. “If you don’t catch enough detail the footage is useless,” he says.

Here’s a guide to a few of the most advanced offerings in video surveillance on the market, ranked by approximate cost. Because every system must be customized to your farm’s unique requirements, prices are only an estimate. Each company offers a variety of security systems at a range of price points or monthly payment plans.

360° view

Allen Leigh’s IP Top/Universal Mount 25X PTZ IP Kit includes a pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) camera that allows the user to monitor multiple pens or areas of the yard from the top of a pole with a 360° field of view. This unit also can be mounted upside down. The camera has a 4.8-120 mm lens that allows the user to see over 1.6 km in daylight and up to 150 m at night. This camera can be rotated 360°, tilted 90° and zoomed in/out at any time from your NVR or phone, allowing for a full field of view. It can be upgraded with more cameras or a recording function.

Cost: $3,200+

precisioncam.ca

High definition

Reed says a four-camera ReedHD High Definition Camera package from Reed Security with professional installation offers superior quality imaging to cameras on offer online or at big box stores. Reed’s cameras record in 3MP to 4K, or four times the quality of 1080p HD. ReedHD Smart Cameras with people and vehicle detection are available as add ons, offering instant notifications to the user when there is motion in the yard.

Cost: $3,000+

reedsecurity.com

Professional monitoring

Telsco’s wireless Videofied systems offer intruder detection with simultaneous video footage. When the Motion Viewer detects movement, an alarm is created and sent to a professional monitoring station along with secure video files via IP or cellular networks. These 10-second video clips allow viewers to filter out false alarms and can be sent to the farm owner on request.

Cost: $2,500+

telsco.com

Pen recording

Farmtronics’ basic IP 1 Camera Security Kit with 2.8mm lens offers a simple option for a small pen or area of the farmyard. A fixed wide-angle lens allows broad viewing width. The camera can be installed by the user. 4 Channel NVR allows the option for expanding to up to four cameras. Cameras can be set up to record on motion, with push notifications sent to the user’s phone.

Cost: $1,090+

farmtronics.com

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But even though it doesn’t usually rank as the disease with most economic impact, flax can still take a hit from pasmo. The Flax Council of Canada says severity can range from traces to 60 per cent of foliage affected, and yield losses in affected fields can span 10 to 30 per cent. Seed and stem fibre quality can also be affected.

“It’s there all the time, it’s the most prevalent disease flax growers see, and some years it can have significant effects,” says Randy Kutcher, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and Ministry of Agriculture strategic research chair in cereal and flax crop pathology.

“The severity really depends on how early the disease arrives and environmental conditions, certainly moist conditions and high humidity,” he adds.

Pasmo is caused by the fungus Septoria linicola, which is present throughout Western Canada and can overwinter on flax stubble.

According to Michelle Beaith, the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission’s newly appointed agronomist, the fungus is residue- and seed-borne and the disease can attack flax at any stage of the plant’s development throughout the growing season.

Spores are spread by wind and rain. Early in the season, the disease shows up in circular brown spots on the leaves. “Then it sort of migrates up the plant, so the next notable symptom is that it has a candycane-like banding on the stem, with alternating green and brown bands,” says Beaith. Lesions may also develop on the boles.

What to spray

Several fungicides registered for use in flax are effective against pasmo. Producers are familiar with Headline EC (Group 11) and Priaxor (Group 7 and 11), but flax has also just been added to the labels for Acapela (Group 11) and Delaro 325 SC (Group 3 and 11).

All of these are registered for application at flowering, with Headline EC and Acapela registered for use at 20 per cent flowering and Priaxor registered for use between 20 and 50 per cent flowering.

Beaith says there’s talk that producers can spray regardless of disease incidence and see a yield bump, but she says this isn’t backed by research and the practice isn’t recommended.

Producers should engage in regular scouting during the growing season and maintain good weed control to lessen humidity in the canopy. Producers should also plant clean seed, and can also consider lowering seeding rate to keep humidity down if pasmo is a real concern.

Kutcher says that though producers can typically achieve good control of pasmo in flax with fungicides, breeding projects are underway to improve disease resistance in new varieties.

He works in collaboration with Helen Booker, a flax breeder at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre, Canada’s only remaining flax breeding program. Booker is focused on breeding for improved yields as well as a range of agronomic and disease resistance traits.

“Pasmo is of interest in the breeding program, but the problem is that we haven’t found very good sources of resistance, so it’s difficult to breed for,” says Kutcher. “We’re optimistic that in the germplasm we screened we’ll come up with something that will be an improvement, but how long that will take to move into registered varieties, it’s difficult to say.”

For now, Kutcher says producers are left with the choice — to spray or not to spray — each year at flowering.

“The choice is really, ‘Will they get a response to using fungicide right now?’ The grower has to have a history of it, they have to be aware of the disease and maybe try some fungicide on their fields and see if they’re getting a response,” he says.

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