A: When choosing a new variety with a grower, I look at many factors including maturities, past crop rotations, herbicides used and specific weed issues as well as any disease or insect concerns the grower may have in their fields. And, of course, how were their yields this year compared with their neighbours?

I am a strong believer in growing at least two, and sometimes more, varieties of the same crop with different maturities. For most crops, we have options of early, mid- and late maturing varieties. By choosing multiple maturities on your farm, you are trying to hedge against Mother Nature. Early season maturities allow for earlier harvest. Later maturing varieties usually have higher yield potential, but will they mature in time for your growing zone?

By looking at the past rotation and herbicides used, we can see if there are any residual concerns for next year’s crop. When it comes to weed issues, my first question is what herbicide-resistant weeds do you have on the farm? Most producers are dealing with resistant weeds like kochia, chickweed, green smartweed, wild oats and redroot pigweed.

In terms of disease, discussion time will be spent on leaf disease ratings and fusarium head blight ratings for cereals. For canola, we will spend time discussing blackleg, clubroot and sclerotinia ratings. Another important canola attribute will be harvest management designation. With corn, the disease discussion will be around Goss’s wilt ratings, stalk strength and green snap ratings.

Regarding insects, time will be spent on flea beetle and cutworm options with a grower’s canola seed treatment. An important insect we forget about with our hard red spring wheat choices is midge and whether the variety has midge tolerance built in. With the phase-out of Lorsban insecticide since 2020, we are very limited in insecticide options for midge control. It’s important to consider, “Are you in a typical midge area? Are you at risk?”

There are many agronomic components to consider when choosing the right varieties for your farm as listed above. I consider these factors on my own farm when choosing varieties. When considering new genetics, try them on limited acres to see them perform under your own management systems.

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It’s an issue that has been around almost as long as pesticides have been used to protect crops against the threat of weeds, disease and insects. But spray drift has come under increasing scrutiny over the past 10 to 15 years, according to a leading spray expert.

“What has changed is people’s sensitivity to it, socially and otherwise,” says Jason Deveau, an application technology specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Deveau is also the co-founder of Sprayers101, a non-profit website, which provides tips and advice on spraying to farmers and applicators.

“In recent years, there have been products released onto the market that are so potent at tremendously low doses we’ve kind of had the curtain pulled back. You can see the damage or impact of off-target movement you simply couldn’t have seen before,” says Deveau.

There are two primary types of pesticide spray drift — particle drift and vapour drift. Particle drift is the movement of pesticide droplets or solid particles outside of the treatment area. Vapour drift is the movement of pesticide vapours outside of the area being treated.

Deveau says there are two main reasons why pesticide drift has become a greater concern for many farmers.

First, due to the growing awareness and sensitivity of the public to the effects of pesticides on the environment, growers understand the importance of mitigating spray drift risks for the benefit of their neighbours and for environmental stewardship. Second, as a result of the increasing costs of pesticides and other inputs, farmers are looking at ways to decrease spray drift risks to maximize the benefits of the inputs they purchase.

“There’s a very good reason for keeping your pesticide on target,” Deveau explains. “It’s not working for you in your neighbour’s field, it’s not working for you in the lake. It works for you when it goes where it’s supposed to go.”

So, what can a farmer or applicator do if they want to minimize drift when they apply pesticide to a field? Deveau and some Prairie producers offered the following tips for Grainews readers.

Apply larger droplets

Deveau says one of the first things you should do is to know your situation and the product you’re using, and to familiarize yourself with any variables you may have to contend with. One rule of thumb to keep in mind is to apply larger droplets if possible, since they are much less likely to drift than smaller droplets.

“Know your product, read your label and pick a nozzle that provides the largest possible droplet that still gives you the biological result you’re looking for,” Deveau says.

Pay attention to weather

Deveau also recommends farmers pay close attention to weather conditions when they are preparing to spray and avail themselves of the latest weather-related technology, including smartphone apps that provide information on everything from relative wind speed to humidity and temperature.

“If you pick good weather conditions, it will improve your odds of reducing drift,” he explains. “If you’re pushing things where it’s too windy or your window for application is short because it won’t stop raining, be very careful because the risks could be much higher that it’s going to blow off course.”

Deveau also advises farmers to be aware of what is happening at adjacent or neighbouring properties, especially when it comes to greenhouses or fields where speciality crops may be grown.

“A lot of products a field cropper might spray could cause a lot of havoc for a speciality crop,” he says. “They should recognize that buying a neighbour’s soybeans if you burn them is far less expensive than buying a neighbour’s grapes.”

Beware of temperature inversions

Although wind can have a large effect on pesticide drift, Deveau cautions farmers not to be fooled into thinking calm conditions mean it’s a good time to spray. He says temperature inversions — a situation in which air near the ground is cooler than the air above it — can contribute to spray drift just as much as strong winds.

Devin Hartzler, who helps run family-owned Triple H Farms near Carstairs, Alta., agrees. He notes temperature inversions start toward evening and can persist until early morning, and they are insidious because they can be difficult to detect.

“You’ll get a temperature inversion and it’s not windy at all and the spray, especially if you’re using a finer water droplet, can hang in the air,” Hartzler says. “Even without wind it can drift, and it can drift farther than if it’s windy out.”

Know your equipment

Deveau stresses the importance of knowing the equipment you will be using to apply pesticide. For example, if you are using a boom sprayer, driving faster tends to necessitate a higher boom so it doesn’t come into contact with the ground. The downside to this is droplets released higher in the air tend to remain in the air for a longer time and are more likely to be picked up by wind.

“Slower spraying means a lower boom, which means less spray is lost,” Deveau says. “If you get the boom a little closer to the ground, you cut down on that time the droplets are in the air.

“Initially, all droplets leaving a nozzle are moving very fast. They could still be moving up to 50 or 60 kilometres per hour when they come out of that nozzle, but they tend to slow down very quickly,” he adds. “You want them to be rocketing into the crop before they slow down and are blown away.”

Of course, spraying with an air blast sprayer is very different than spraying with a horizontal boom. The key with air blast sprayers, according to Deveau, is using only enough air energy to get what you are spraying to the centre of your target.

One of the simplest ways of ensuring that is to perform a test prior to spraying. Tie a ribbon on the opposite and upwind side of a tree and do a couple of sample passes with your sprayer. If the ribbon flutters slightly, that means your travel speed and air energy are in alignment. However, if the ribbon blows straight out that means you are using too much air. No movement of the ribbon means you’re not using enough air or you are driving too fast.

“The nice thing about it is, if you’re willing to take just a few times to do it, you start to build up a reflex response and it becomes second nature,” Deveau says.

Check sprayer regularly

Hartzler says there are several things his family does to try and minimize pesticide drift on their 4,200-acre grain seed farm north of Calgary.

One of the most important, he says, is to check spraying equipment regularly to make sure it’s operating correctly. That includes eyeballing sprayers while they’re in use in order to detect any changes in the way water droplets are coming out of the nozzles.

“It’s in our best interest to make sure everything is running properly because we don’t want to waste money by having it drift onto somebody else’s field or improperly applying it by being at too high or too low of a rate. Both of those (scenarios) are costly and not beneficial to us,” Hartzler explains.

He also recommends the use of drift retardant compounds when appropriate. Retardants can reduce the risk of spray drift and maximize pesticide performance. The only catch is you have to be careful which ones you use since some are not compatible with some types of spray nozzles.

“It doesn’t eliminate (drift), but it definitely helps,” Hartzler says.

Keep records

Spray drift hasn’t been much of a problem for Triple H Farms since Hartzler joined the family-run operation more than a decade ago. Still, he recommends farmers keep detailed records in case such an event occurs.

Hartzler keeps comprehensive digital and print records of everything from wind direction and speed to temperatures when spraying occurs on the farm in case there is ever an issue on a neighbouring farm.

Not only can such records protect a farmer in the event of a suspected drift, he says, but it also shows they take such situations seriously and are making the effort to prevent them from happening.

Keep up on innovations

Rob Stone and his family farm about 9,000 acres of canola, wheat and lentils on Stone Farms near Davidson, Sask.

Stone says it’s important for farmers to educate themselves as much as possible about the latest developments in spray technology and methodology in order to minimize spray drift. That includes checking out websites like Sprayers101 for recommendations and tips and attending trade shows that offer a first-hand look at the latest innovations in spray technology.

Stone also recommends speaking with neighbouring farmers and other colleagues in the ag community to learn about what has worked for them — and what hasn’t — when it comes to spraying.

“We’ve been implementing and paying attention to as much information out there, which continues to accumulate,” he says. “The good thing is the lifelong learning of application continues to get easier.”

Bill Campbell is a fourth-generation farmer who runs a 2,500-acre mixed farm near Minto, Man.

One of the most common pieces of advice he offers fellow farmers about spraying is to follow the instructions provided on a pesticide’s label in order to learn about the product’s strengths and limitations. Campbell also recommends keeping up to date on innovations taking place in the marketplace, so you know the best options available to you.

“I think there’s great potential for some of that innovation to prevent drift that would go onto adjacent fields,” he says.

Communicate with neighbours

Even though farmers may take all the necessary precautions to prevent pesticides from drifting onto neighbouring properties, there is often little they can do to stop inbound drift from occurring on their own properties.

Stone knows that all too well. He had to file an insurance claim a few years ago when pesticide from a neighbouring farm drifted onto his land. His advice to farmers on how to deal with such a scenario is to be proactive and maintain open lines of communication with their neighbours.

“It’s a simple thing to happen. I think a person needs to remember the shoe can be on the other foot pretty easily when addressing (spray drift),” Stone says. “My personal way to approach it is if you can deal with it in a rational way amongst yourselves and get it sorted out, that’s usually the easiest way.”

The post Keep on target appeared first on Grainews.

“If we’re not going to put hay under roof, we need a well-drained site to avoid spoilage on the bottom,” he says. “Gravel or some kind of base under the hay that will drain keeps bales from soaking up water.”

In snow country, avoid low areas that will be wet with snow melt, and away from trees to allow more air movement to keep things dry, and avoid catching more snow. “If it catches much snow, we have to dig the hay out to feed it, and when all that snow melts it puts that moisture next to our hay,” Rusche says.

Many hay producers make big round bales, which can be a challenge to store. “My preference, if I have room, is to store them in long single-bale rows with the flat sides touching each other and round side up, and run those rows run north to south so there’s sun exposure on both sides. You want fairly wide gaps between the rows, for more air movement.”

Minimize snow

If there’s a lot of snow, it can slide off between the rows with enough room to not pile up so deeply between them; snow won’t stay against the sides of the bales as long.

“When there’s a lot of snow, with bales in a single row, we can pull the bales off that row and only have to open up a small area — as opposed to trying to get at stacks. If there’s limited space, however, we have to stack them,” Rusche says.

If bales are to be stacked, figure out how long they have to be stored and which bales you’ll use first. Decide if it is hay to be used in early winter, or is it hay that will be fed to weaned calves in the fall — fed between October and January for example. Is there a way to cut corners on storage, because shrink on hay stored only a few months will be modest.

Prioritize the storage plan. “The longer you need to keep hay, the more protected it should be so it won’t weather so much,” says Rusche. “If you have covered storage available, put the highest-quality feed under roof, especially if it needs to hold its quality until spring.” Lower-value rained-on grass hay can be stored outside.

It’s not necessary to have four walls for a hay shed; a roof alone will help prevent moisture buildup and losses, Rusche says. It’s also important to know how much precipitation you get. In an arid climate, the risk of hay loss is lower when figuring whether a hay shed pencils out. But even in an arid climate, there may be brief heavy rains that soak deeply into the bales, or an unusual year where there is more snow than normal.

Different covering materials

Some people tarp hay rather than invest in a hay shed. Hay can be tarped anywhere. It may be easier to invest in a few tarps, canvas cover, or rolls of black plastic that can be reused for several years. Black plastic lasts longer than most tarps, is cheaper, and can be cut to fit the stacks. Black plastic is slicker — and warmer from absorbing sunshine — and snow sheds off better.

Compared to tarping a pyramid stack, it’s easier with long single rows or even rows of single bales placed on top of single bales. When taking tarps or black plastic off in winter, the covering comes off single rows easily, whereas a pyramid stack or rows placed tightly together will have dips and valleys where water or snow melt collects and creates heavy chunks of ice.

“Pyramid stacks have more problems in general because there are more places for water to collect and sink into the hay,” says Rusche. “If we place bales flat side to flat side in long rows of single bales, the water sheds off.”

When space is limited, people usually put round bales in rows with a sideways bale on top of each upright bale, or make a pyramid stack. Rusche says Kansas State University looked at putting a bale on end and other bale on top of it. Shrink loss was similar to what they saw in single rows. A study in South Dakota looked at storage losses in pyramid stacks (a base of three with a layer of two on those and a third bale on top) and found 10 per cent loss in one year. A single bale with air around it had storage loss of four per cent and when placed end to end in long rows the loss was under one per cent.

Making hay bales with proper bale density is also important. Loosely-packed hay allows more moisture to penetrate, and there’s also more oxygen available for microbes to utilize and break down the nutrients. One way to check bale density is to press your palm against it. If you can press the bale inward by more than half an inch, the bale is too loose and you should expect more hay loss.

If hay is stored outside, it should be on high, well-drained ground or up on pallets, old tires, bricks, railroad ties, or old fence posts — anything to keep hay off the ground.

The post Tips for protecting hay quality over winter appeared first on Grainews.

Let’s look at five types of letters that might be helpful to people in this situation:

• Exploration
• Collaboration
• Explanation
• Confrontation
• Affirmation

You might want to take parts of each of these types of letters to accomplish your specific goals. Here’s how I have seen them used in my coaching work.

• Exploration: This is the discovery process of seeking out the possibilities of how you might like to address an issue with another party. You are exploring the various options ahead of you. For a young farmer, it might be exploring a new business plan with the founders or folks who hold most of the equity in the operation. What opportunities are you wanting to explore on your farm? What letters of reference or testimonials do you have in your research to prove it is a workable choice to engage in? Writing the letter will help crystalize your commitment to the project and help you think things through for your business plan.
• Collaboration: The purpose of this letter is to agree on a working contract. I use this letter in my speaker agreements to be clear about timelines, dates, venues, supplies, fees and expenses. When you are wanting to collaborate on a project with a family member you usually talk about it lots, but how many documents are in place to be clear about roles and responsibilities? Many farm folks I know wish they had taken a few more steps to get things in writing so they could refer to the original goals and expectations. A shareholder’s agreement is really a document letter of collaboration. Do you understand what your shareholder’s agreement says? Do you need to update it?
• Explanation: This is a powerful script to follow when you want to convey your thoughts and intentions at a meeting but you’re not sure you’ll be able to say everything quite the right way you want it to go. I have seen this type of letter used as a powerful tool by a farm widow who was distressed her adult children were fighting over how the father’s estate had been carried out. She used the letter to read her thoughts at the opening of the family meeting. The children listened intently while their mother conveyed her angst at their bickering. When the tone of reconciliation had been set by the mother’s expectations conveyed in her letter, the children discussed their next steps toward a better family relationship with an understanding of why the estate was executed in a certain manner. People cannot read minds, so letters are a vehicle for building up understanding and starting robust, courageous conversations.
• Confrontation: Stop texting when you are angry. Put that energy toward collecting your thoughts on paper in a Word document that you can craft until it sounds right. I have used this approach when adults want to deliver a strong message of concern to another adult. In one case, it was crafted by a husband and wife and then hand delivered to the party who needed to receive the message of concern. This took time and deliberation over carefully chosen words. The power of hand delivery emphasized the openness for ongoing conversation and the seriousness of the need for the conflict to be dealt with. You can make this even more impactful if the letter is handwritten, as long as your writing is easy to read. Sometimes these confrontation letters are hard to receive, particularly if you are like me and would rather just have a face-to-face conversation. Use the letter as a starting point and as an invitation to have a face-to-face conversation.
• Affirmation: Gary Chapman wrote the book The Five Love Languages, which are words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, meaningful touch and acts of service. One of my love languages is verbal affirmation. As a writer, I also love the power of the written word through cards and notes of affirmation. They are nice to see on social media, but those are fleeting comments. You can hold a card or letter of affirmation in your hand and can pull it out again on hard days when you need a word of encouragement. I have seen this powerful letter used by a father-in-law who sought to empower his talented daughter-in-law. He wrote her a letter stating the many reasons why he thought they should work together on the farm. That letter started a great relationship and affirmed open, loving, respectful communication between them as a team.

Some younger people have not learned cursive writing and therefore only print or keyboard their messages. Our local agent who processes drivers’ licences has taken to teaching young teens how to craft a great signature! I find this hard to believe, but it’s a reflection of how the written word is changing in our culture. Writing a letter to break down the barrier of anxiety about your future on the farm, or how to approach the fairness factor in estate plans, is a place to start. You can be clear about your intent not to cause harm, stating your hope to gain clarity of expectations for the future. You can think about the words you carefully choose.

Please consider what type of letter you need to be crafting today.

Listen to the Ag State of Mind podcasts 124 and 125 to hear how powerful a letter can be. I coached the host Jason Medows on these episodes.

Write me a letter at Box 957, Boissevain, MB, R0K 0E0.

The post Use the power of a letter to get unstuck appeared first on Grainews.

In total, they lost about 1,600 bushels of canola — the harvest from 40 acres — from their farm, which is located about 230 kilometres west of Winnipeg. The canola was worth about $40,000 at the time.

“My brother saw a truck pull into the driveway where this bin is located and whoever was in that truck was scouting,” Wedderburn says. “They came back that night. We had the auger in the bin.

“It’s a really big hit and if I was just starting out at grain farming and had a $40,000 theft, I’d be broke.”

In Wedderburn’s view, farmers don’t consider how much value is stored in their grain bins — and don’t realize how vulnerable they are to theft.

Like anyone would be, Wedderburn was shocked. He thought he lived in a community where something like this would never happen.

After thinking about it, he considered the theft might have been carried out by a fellow farmer. That year, some farmers couldn’t meet contract requirements and were left in the lurch. Wedderburn says he wouldn’t be surprised if the canola theft had been committed to make up the difference in a contract.

“There were a lot of farmers in that position last winter,” he says. “And canola was the most valuable crop.”

You are not alone

Wedderburn says he has seen it reported in the media that grain theft is not an issue because it doesn’t happen very often. However, Wedderburn disagrees. “I hear about it all the time,” he says.

This year, it has been reported a farmer near Alexander, Man., had grain stolen, as did another in the municipality of Argyle.

In early May, near Ponteix, Sask., RCMP reported a theft of 1,300 bushels of durum seed. And even hay bales have been stolen in the recent past in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

According to RCMP in Manitoba, one complaint has been filed in the Wasagaming area for grain theft. The theft was canola worth about $35,000 at the time, says RCMP Manitoba media relations officer Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

In 2022 so far, he says Swan River RCMP received a report of a theft of approximately 53,000 litres of grain. In addition, about $165,000 worth of grain was stolen from a Sioux Valley-area farmer and about $20,000 worth of wheat was stolen from a farmer in the Boissevain area.

However, there may be more victims out there.

“It’s impossible to ascertain the true numbers of grain thefts as it is quite likely others may have fallen victim to theft but have not noticed the missing volumes when it comes time to the emptying of their bins and the selling of their product,” notes Manaigre.

Farmer opts for grain confetti

Manaigre urges farmers to consider the use of what’s called grain confetti or markers, which go a long way in preventing grain theft. The grain confetti have unique code numbers and are mixed into the grain. At the elevator, staff calls the maker of the markers to confirm the grain being unloaded actually belongs to the person who is unloading.

The first thing Wedderburn did after discovering the theft of his grain was to put Manitoba-made Cropgard grain markers in the remainder of the bin. “I will also put it in my bins this fall,” he says.

Country Graphics, based in Rosenort, Man., has been making Cropgard for 40 years and it’s the only business making the markers in the province. Cropgard consists of quarter-inch squares of food-safe paper on which unique code numbers are printed with vegetable-based ink. These are mixed with the grain. Each box order is sufficient to treat 50,000 bushels and costs under $200.

Country Graphics manager, Valerie Schellenberg, says she has never heard of the theft of marked grain. In 2021, Cropgard sales increased, likely due to higher commodity prices, she says. In total, Country Graphics sold 160 boxes, more than three times the average in past years.

Grain markers are a good deterrent because while stealing grain thieves also steal thousands of pieces of evidence that can be used against them. Thieves need to be aware the grain contains markers, which is why each box of CropGard includes five large warning decals to be placed on and around the bin.

“Some farmers ask for additional decals,” says Schellenberg. “These are good quality, fairly aggressive decals and are about eight by five inches in size.”

Some companies that make grain monitoring cables also offer a theft deterrent option. In addition to providing temperature alerts, the system provides the option to receive alerts if your grain handling equipment is started or stopped. Some companies, like Tri-States Grain Conditioning (which is based in Iowa but serves Canadian customers), also allow you to configure alerts during harvest to monitor truck loading and unloading at your bin sites.

More tips and strategies for grain and farm security

There are several strategies you can take to prevent grain or other types of farm theft.

Like other forms of theft, grain theft takes planning and preparation. A strategic approach employing multiple security measures can decrease your risk of being a victim of theft. Every form of security you use on your farm adds another deterrent layer for thieves, making your farm not worth the effort and the risk of getting caught.

Read over the farm security tips below and then examine your property from a thief’s perspective. Make a farm security plan and execute it.

Security locks: a thief’s strategy

The variety of locks available to you is greater than ever. Bolt cutter-resistant locks may cost more but are well worth it. Keep in mind thieves will scout a location as the first step to stealing from your farm. Their second step is to cut off padlocks with bolt cutters and replace them with locks of their own, which makes it much quicker for them to carry out the theft. This means you need to check every lock regularly to make sure it’s yours.

Install or purchase more cameras

Wedderburn is putting up more cameras. “The thief at my bin was loading for over an hour,” he says. “At least the police can have that footage if this ever happens again.”

If your grain bin is in an area with cellular coverage, you will be able to connect with the camera and receive alerts if there is movement in the camera view (or if the camera is tampered with). There are many 180- and 360-degree cameras available and night vision cameras use infrared light to take images in the dark. Cameras can be set to automatically zoom in, record to a cloud network and much more.

Light it up

Invest in a good lighting system at your bins. Like cameras, lighting systems now come with a wide range of options to provide better security. Flood lights can be set for motion activation, remote control and more. Make sure your camera feeds have good lighting if they are not infrared cameras.

Choose future bin sites carefully

Consider carefully where you place new bins. When possible, place bins near your home or the home of a trustworthy friend or family member, or along a busy road.

Create a single entry point

A single entry point to your grain storage area is a very good idea. Remove other access points with fences, deep ditches or other kinds of physical barriers.

Get friendly

It’s time to get to know your neighbours if you don’t already. Establish a mutual relationship where you keep an eye out for each other in general, but especially when you are away.

Turn it off and secure it

Be sure to turn off the electrical unloading systems at your bins. Farmers should also check their stored grain regularly for signs of tampering, offers Manaigre.

Train others

Make sure employees or family members know what to do when checking grain bins for tampering or to check locks to ensure they haven’t been swapped out by thieves. That is, make up a simple sheet with the lock locations, what blocked access points should be checked and so on. Make it easy for others to do the job right.

Report suspicious behavior

If you do see something unusual, call your neighbours but also don’t hesitate to call local police. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Farmer takes action

Wedderburn is still hopeful the thieves who stole his grain last December will be tracked down. “The police have some leads and I’m not giving up on it,” he says.

The farmer has another idea that will benefit farmers across the province. “I want to start some kind of a focus group,” he says. “Politicians, police, farmers — get everyone together. I’ve sent letters to my MLA. There is nobody in policing in the province who is educated about grain theft, no one dedicated to this type of theft, and we need at least one person in the province who knows what they are doing and knows how the grain industry works. There was a woman who used to work with the RCMP and broke a grain theft case a few years ago and I put the local police in touch with her.”

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