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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024
Agriculture Now FEBRUARY 22, 2024 thecarillon.com
Do farmers a favour and ‘squeal’ on pigs Feature Story See story on page 2
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Wild pigs come in different sizes and colours, but are mostly brown or black with coarse, bristly hair. Males typically have larger heads and tusks.
Do farmers a favour and ’squeal’ on wild pigs
SQUEAL ON PIGS
get a handle on exactly how widespread it is Wild pigs are causing damage to the crops and the forest, eating acorns and causing a lot of destruction. In the 1980’s and 90’s there was a downturn in agriculture and people turned to wild boars to diversify their income, thinking there would be a market. When it turned out the public was not that interested, pigs either escaped or were let go and started to breed in the wild. A wild pig is considered to be any animal outside a fence. Eurasian boars will breed with domestic pigs and hybrids will produce eight or 10 weanlings, twice a year, causing an explo- sion in the wild pig population. Wild pigs carry diseases and present a risk to human safety, Lees explains. The public is warned these animals are pretty big and dan- gerous, and people should not take any chanc- es. A wild boar, when cornered, will charge. Tusks are very sharp and capable of causing serious injuries. The boars are quite large, up to 5 feet long, weighing over 250 pounds. The females stay with their piglets, but when she believes they are threatened she will charge as well. While, to date, the largest concentration of wild pig sightings have been in the Spruce Woods Park and southeast of Brandon, wild pigs are scattered all around the province. Domestic and pot-bellied pigs get away from property which is not fenced as well as it should be. Most sightings are of the Eurasian wild boar type, very hairy, with a long snout. Squeal on Pigs Manitoba relies on sighting reports so field people can contact landowners in the area and follow up with locating bait and setting traps. Working with landowners, who can choose to use the meat, animals are euthanized. Sam- ples are collected to be studied by the lab in Winnipeg. The idea is to reduce the population, but at the same time hunting wild pigs for sport is not encouraged. Hunting tends to scatter the wild pig population, making it harder for the Squeal on Pigs program to monitor the situa- tion and carry out trapping. There have been reports in the United States of people importing wild pigs, specifically so they can increase the population for hunting. What is disturbing about that practice, is that wild pigs will eat anything and compete with other wildlife for food, Lees said. “The question for hunters is whether they want to hunt deer or pigs, for in the long run they will not end up with both.” ’ There is a capture and removal program
by WES KEATING H unting wild boars for meat or trophy may be considered an exciting sport by some, but the damage caused by exploding numbers of wild pigs in Canada has prompted a nation-wide campaign to attempt to eradicate the dangerous and damage caus- ing animals. Each province has its own program to deal with the problem, but all share a common goal in asking the public to assist in their efforts and “Squeal on Pigs” to help field agents lo- cate, trap and destroy wild pigs. In 2022, Squeal on Pigs was launched as a nation-wide media campaign to alert the pub- lic about the problem. The animals were caus- ing damage to crops and the forest, and all-in- all, causing a lot of destruction and spreading disease to domestic livestock. Field agent Doug Lacombe, manning a Squeal on Pigs Manitoba display at the Key- stone Agriculture Producers annual meeting in Winnipeg, showed a skull from 250-pound boar and outlined some of the problems in getting a handle on the province-wide prob- lem. Drones are utilized and there are airplane surveys, but wild pigs are extremely difficult to control, as they move around a lot. Getting up- to-date data of the extent of the problem relies heavily on reported sightings by area landown- ers, who are seeing damage to their fields. Lacombe says he prefers having pictures to confirm any sighting, because sometimes the damage believed to be caused by wild pigs, could well be blamed on bears. Bears are likely to root at ant hills or around tree trunks, while wild pigs leave a field looking like it was ro- to-tilled. Maps of sightings, which are updated every three months, show the majority of wild pigs in Manitoba are located in Spruce Woods and areas southeast of Brandon. Years ago, there were a number of sightings in the La Broquerie area, but last fall there was just one, Lacombe said. Wayne Lees, who at one time was the prov- ince’s chief veterinary officer, is the co-ordina- tor for Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, and joined the program in its early development. He says he enjoys the challenge of getting a new pro- gram like this up and running. The attempt to reduce the population of wild pigs has been going on for a number of years, he said. Squeal on Pigs was launched as a media campaign to alert the public about the prob- lem and to get help in collecting data to try and
SQUEAL ON PIGS Green blocks on the latest Squeal on Pigs sightings map show how widespread the problem of wild pigs is in Manitoba. The red and orange blocks indicate the larger numbers seen in the Brandon area.
effort designed to provide essential informa- tion for outdoor pig producers. Squeal on Pigs has been distributing brochures to veterinary clinics and livestock supplies stores outlining a wide variety of topics from feeding to fencing, to shelters and raising pigs on pasture. For Squeal on Pigs, proper fencing is partic- ularly important as pigs are escape artists and it is vital to keep domestic pigs away from the wild pig population. Lees encourages the public to report sight- ings of wild pigs by either calling 1-833-SPOT- PIG toll free, or else to go directly to the web- site www.squealonpigsmb.org and click the tab to report a sighting. “We very much appreciate any information as to where wild pigs might be found.”
carried out in Manitoba with four field people covering areas from the Southeast to Brandon and to Swan River. Squeal on Pigs people will respond to sight- ings quickly, setting up traps and the map is refreshed every three months to keep wild pigs data up to date. The effectiveness of the program is reflected in the numbers, Lee said. “In 2022 there were 127 sightings and 122 pigs were removed. In 2023 there were 156 sightings and 90 wild pigs were caught and killed. Thirty-seven 37 escaped domestic pigs were captured and relocated.” Small pig operations are encouraged to use the internet resources available at www.smalls- calepigfarming.com which is a collaborative
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Doug Lacombe, an Eastern Manitoba field operations technician, with the skull of a 250-pound wild boar at the Squeal on Pigs Manitoba display during KAP’s annual meeting in January.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Dropping by the Squeal on Pigs display is Reg Margidot, a landowner in the RM of Victoria, who has had problems with wild pigs causing damage in his corn.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON
Members of the St Jean Knights of Columbus served 32 gallons of their signature pea soup at St. Jean Farm Days.
Canada’s ‘biggest little farm show’ draws hundreds
you’re there. Here, they’ll be there. Whether they’re looking for new bins or whatever it is, they can do things efficiently here, plus get all the great information and a wonderful lunch, all for just $10. There’s nowhere else you can find something like this.” Once again, visitors enjoyed the same great food Farm Days has come to be known for, including a continental breakfast, homemade soup featuring the region’s signa- ture pea soup, open faced buns and the increasingly popular wine and cheese reception. Sabourin said, “For decades, St Jean-Baptiste proudly held the title of “Soup pea capital of Canada”. That market has since gone to Saskatche- wan, but they’re still famous for the best traditional soup in the region.” The soup is prepared and served by the local Knights of Columbus to raise funds for local projects and families. This year, they served 32 gallons of pea soup, five gallons of vegetable soup, and two gallons of lentil soup. Visitors at Farm Days also had the opportunity to network with other producers and over 50 exhibitors about what’s going to be important to their farm operation this upcom- ing season. LD Seeds employee Rory Penner spoke to dozens of producers over the course of the event. “This is such a great place to network and talk. I don’t think retailers come here ex- pecting to sell a lot. They’re mostly putting faces to the names and ask- ing what other companies are seeing in the current market.” Marlen Bergen of Komb Ag Ser- vices said not only does Farm Days provide excellent exposure for his business, but it also gives him a chance to get to know the produc- ers he works with and answer their questions in person.
by LORI PENNER D espite the Alberta Clipper that swept through the re- gion, St Jean Farm Days still attracted a big crowd. Known as “Canada’s biggest little farm show”, the event drew hun- dreds of local producers and exhib- itors to the Centennial Hall in St Jean Jan. 10 and 11 to connect with other farmers and ag dealers from across the region. Jennifer Sabourin chairs the six-member organizing committee which also includes her husband Brunel Sabourin, Wayne Klassen, Gilbert Sabourin, Rachel Neumann, and Kat Dequier. She said this year marks the 37th anniversary of the show, and it was great to see so many members of the farm industry come out and enjoy the event. “Farm Days has enjoyed a long history. It was my husband’s parents and Gilbert’s parents and a few other couples from St. Jean that started it. We’re the second generation orga- nizing this, and now the third gener- ation is also slowly trickling in.” The purpose of the event has al- ways been to connect local produc- ers with each other and experts in the industry. “We wanted to provide a place where they didn’t have to travel very far to get the advice and the products they needed.” One of the big sellers, she added, is that at this show they know they’ll get to talk to a familiar face. “We work hard to get experts who can present on current topics that are relevant to local producers. The people who can help them are all right here. With some of the larger shows such as the three-day event in Brandon, it might be harder to connect with your person on the day
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON
Rory Penner of LD Seeds in Altona chats with a producer.
that we have coming up from the states. We are seeing them, and we need to take a close look at how to manage them. They’re coming with a lot of built-in resistance, so we are al- most behind the eight ball. We need to stay ahead of the game. We bring all these experts here where people can get all the information they need and talk to local people about local issues. They get answers, right down to how to survive in the current mar- ket. It’s really a great event.” Sabourin extended a huge thank you to all the presenters and pro- ducers who braved the weather to attend this year’s show. “Mark your calendars for next year, which will run Jan. 8-9, 2025.”
“It’s really about connecting with the community and meeting farm- ers in the region. Often when talking on the phone, they’ll ask me if I’ll be at Farm Days. Even if they’re your neighbour, they still like to meet at the farm show.” With a full speaker program slated for the event, Sabourin said produc- ers were able to hear about relevant topics to their business and gain some insight into what challenges the upcoming growing season may hold. “It’s been the same format since we began. People want to know about the forecast in terms of mar- ket, weather, and insects, along with other things like the resistant weeds
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Entomologist John Gavloski educated producers about flea beetles and grasshoppers.
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LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Marlen Bergen (left) of Komb Ag Services in Altona discussed options with a visitor at his booth.
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Look what the wind blew in
Adult two-striped grasshoppers.
JOHN GAVLOSKI
stage until next spring. But that egg is closer to hatch than it would have been in a cooler fall. So, the hatch might occur quicker next year.” There are a few naturally occurring things that can hamper grasshopper egg growth, such as predators like bee flies, blister beetles, ground beetles, and field crickets. In terms of winter mortality. Gavloski says don’t count on it. “Soil temperatures of -15 de- grees, about two to three inches into the soil are required to cause substantial winter mor- tality.” This depends on snow cover since eggs are usually laid where snowfall accumulates. “Even an inch or two of snow is enough to in- sulate them.” If spring is too dry, it can delay hatch. Grass- hoppers need a bit of moisture for hatch, but not a lot. Temperature is what drives the cycle. “Scout your ditches and field edges, and ar- eas where grasshoppers tend to emerge in your region, starting in early June. That’s when you can probably expect to see the hatch starting.” Burning won’t kill the pest species of eggs. “It might blacken the area, so that a hatch might occur quicker. Mowing ditches may also cause them to spread to the crops.” Armyworms Armyworms are in the same family as the cutworm, Gavloski said. “If you poke them, they’ll curl into a ball, and you can often find them in patches in the field. These are ma- jor pests. They migrate north in springtime, like butterflies. We had some very high levels last year, in late June and July, right across the province.” Armyworms like dense grassy vegetation to lay their eggs, so scouting for them isn’t diffi- cult. “If you have areas that are denser, espe- cially a cereal crop, check those areas carefully. We do monitor and set traps for these adults, and we can give you at least a bit of advance notice if we see them in our traps.” Shake the plants and look on the soil for armyworm larvae. During the day, also look under plant debris, lumps of soil, and in soil cracks where they may hide. In cereal and grass crops, check at least five areas of a field, starting in late June. Pay special attention to patches of lodged plants and areas of grassy weeds. Any field in areas that have significant bird activity should be scouted. Also check the backs of armyworms for par- asite eggs. Natural enemies of the armyworm are Cotesia wasps, who lay eggs into the army worm. Diamondback moth The Diamondback moth is blown in by strong south winds into Manitoba across East- ern, Interlake, Central and Northwest regions in July and August. Their numbers are hard to predict. Mani- toba Agriculture puts up traps for them. Last year, they had 84 traps set up at different loca- tions, with a monitoring period generally from May 1 to July 1. “It can vary from year to year. The numbers were extremely high in the Alto- na and Horndean areas last summer,” Gavloski said. Few, if any, survive winters in the Canadian prairies. “When they move in and get established, the pod feeding is the most damaging. If you have good soil moisture and they’re feeding on flowers and buds and things, usually plants like canola will produce more flowers and buds and compensate for that feeding. But the plant can’t produce more pods and seeds once it gets to that stage. The pod feeding is really what we want people to watch out for.” Aphids in cereals “Aphids were a concern and are also some- thing that blows in on the winds. They were an issue in quite a few regions. Probably more so in the western part of the province and the central region. The problem we ran into last year was they came in quite late, well into July. People were scouting and they weren’t quite at soft dough yet. They were still in the suscep- tible stages. But spring was an issue because we’re limited to two registered active ingredi- ents: malathion and dimethoate.” Dimethoate has a 35-day preharvest inter- val. “So, when you’re almost at soft dough, that’s not an option. And malathion wasn’t all that readily available. It’s an okay product on aphids. Dimethoate is probably the better product in the long run, but because of the long pre-harvest, it’s not an option.” Aphids have lots of natural enemies (such as lady beetles and aphid mummies) in some fields. Last year, there were above-threshold aphid numbers, but they also had a lot of lady beetles, and parasitized aphids. Farmers didn’t
by LORI PENNER J ohn Gavloski is a fascinated observer of almost any type of wildlife, with a particu- lar interest in all the creepy, crawly visitors that not only harm your crops, but also benefit them. Based in Carman, with a Ph.D. in entomolo- gy, Gavloski has been working with Manitoba Agriculture since 1997, monitoring and pro- viding information on insects that are both beneficial and potential pests to farmers, agronomists and those working with agricul- ture. He also conducts numerous presentations and information updates for agronomists and farmers and co-produces a weekly Manitoba Pest Update during the spring and summer. In a recent presentation, Gavloski listed the top 10 insect concerns that producers faced in 2023, offered a forecast for next year, and pro- vided scouting and management tips for the 2024 growing season, as well. The top 10 list included: flea beetles in cano- la, grasshoppers, armyworms, diamondback moths, alfalfa weevils, cutworms, aphids in small grains, field peas and soybeans, and Ly- gus bugs. “Fleas beetles, grasshoppers and army- worms were major insect concerns in every agricultural region of the province,” Gavloski said. “The others were of concern, but more localized and weren’t as widespread. Five of those 10 are things that overwinter well here, and five either blew in or migrated in. So, flea beetles, grasshoppers wintered well. Army- worms migrate in a purposeful migration. Dia- mondback moths don’t winter well; they blow in. The alfalfa weevil doesn’t winter as well as cutworms. Pretty much all aphid species, if they’re going to be a problem, it’s because they’ve blown in.” Flea beetles in canola Gavloski says last year resulted in many is- sues with flea beetles. “They were widespread. But it wasn’t as bad as the year before. What puts you at a higher risk for flea beetles is sit- ting and not growing quickly early on.” Producers were treating canola seed with neonicotinoid seed treatment, and many fields received additional insecticide applica- tions. There were also heavy feeding or insecti- cide applications reported from all agricultural regions. “In some areas, uneven emergence and vari- ability in stages made scouting more compli- cated.” Gavlioski said slow emergence and delayed early season growth makes canola more vul- nerable to flea beetles. “The challenge is to get the canola plants to a stage where they can naturally tolerate flea beetle feeding (3-4 leaf stage) without signifi- cant feeding injury.” Last spring’s excellent growing conditions and warm soil resulted in quick germination and emergence in some areas. Cultural controls for flea beetles in Canada include planting seed as shallow as available moisture will allow. Direct seeding also pro- vides a microclimate which is less ideal. Flea beetles prefer environments exposed to bright sunlight which are relatively warm. “In- creasing seeding rate and seeding into cooler soil can also minimize the damage in some of the fields,” he said. “The tricky part is if you see treatments are wearing out, you’re still not at the 3-4 leaf stage. Sometimes you have to make that decision: do we spray, or don’t we spray? That can be really tricky.” Producers could also consider stem cutting. “But there’s an art and a science in scouting for females. We’re factoring in a variety of things, so you really have to use a bit of intuition and common sense in your decision making.” Grasshoppers “In our areas, there are many different crops, so some farmers don’t have to deal with them in any significant way. Other farmers do. So, it can vary within a region.” There are roughly 85 different species of grasshoppers in Manitoba, with 180 species in Canada. Four of those species are considered pest species. “It’s good to know which species you’ll find in your area.” Pest species can lay a lot of eggs, and Gavlos- ki says if you get them in early frost, sometimes it cuts down the egg laying before they get a chance to lay their maximum amount. “Last year, the frost came quite late, and they were able to lay their maximum numbers. They were in warm enough conditions, so they were quite active. If you get a warmer extended fall, there is embryonic development happen- ing in those eggs, so things will stay in the egg
JOHN GAVLOSKI
THARSHI NAGALINGAM UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
Oat-birdcherry aphid.
Adult Lygus Bug.
MANITOBA AGRICULTURE
Diamondback moth pupa and larva.
beans, and high levels in rye and wheat.” The new economic thresholds for Lygus bugs in canola suggest a threshold of 20-30 per 10 sweeps for good growing conditions. Using the lower end of the threshold (about 20 per 10 sweeps) may be appropriate for stressed cano- la with less ability to compensate for feeding. The most vulnerable crop stage for Lygus feeding is when seeds are enlarging on lower pods. When most pods become “leathery” and when seeds inside are firm, Lygus bugs can no longer penetrate the pods or seeds with their mouthparts and are no longer an economic threat. For more information on insects, go to the Manitoba Agriculture website.
really want to spray because there were a lot of good guys. There is an app where you can factor in a lot of the natural enemies, and it will adjust a threshold for you. But you do have to scout five areas of the field and several plants per area so it can make a decision for you. There are no shortcuts.” Lygus bugs Lygus bugs are sap feeders, with a beak like a mosquito. They suck the juice from the plant, and like to feed on nitrogen rich newer growth, like flowers, buds, and seeds. “They can be- come a real problem when they’re feeding di- rectly on your seeds and will do this with a lot of plants. Last year we had issues in canola, dry
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Gavloski listed the top 10 insect concerns that producers faced in 2023, offered a forecast for next year, and provided scouting and management tips for the 2024 growing season.
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‘Why do I have so many pictures of Kochia on my phone?’
seed has a very short duration of when it is viable. I can tell you that if you have a patch or an area and you make it your mission to pick or remove that, in two years you will not have Kochia in those spots. With some of that stuff, you can’t 100 per- cent rely on our herbicide program. You have to rely on other things.” Since 2021 was dry, with rain in the fall, Hanson said farmers were seeing regrowth of Kochia after har- vest. “We actually did a burn off of some fields in the late fall.” He added, “I tell my growers we shouldn’t say weed control. We should think of it as weed manage- ment. Most of it is focused from the spring and the summer. One thing is there are more plants but it’s also the size. The density and size of Kochia is what makes it so durable. When it gets bigger, it protects itself. It’s a coverage issue.” Tilling, he says, does not make a big difference. “They are going to live or die by burn offs and residu- als from now on. It’s important not to let it get ahead of us. It’s always a popular conversation: you need to quit seeding and you need to start spraying during seeding season. In some cases that is the difference.” The addition of a methylated seed oil seems to have an impact on emerged Kochia. “If products are oil based and you put in a methylated seed oil, you increase the effica- cy on small dense Kochia. From a foliar standpoint, if there’s no Ko- chia up, I don’t put it in. But with emerged Kochia, it makes a huge difference.” When it comes to the question of burn down or burn off, Hanson said the number one thing he tells all his clients is if it’s dry, you have to use pre-emerge, with a combi- nation of a burn down and a resid- ual. Hanson is also a big proponent of Metribuzin as an herbicide op- tion for Kochia control. “I use it any place I can. All my acres get it. It provides a burn down opportuni- ty. Plus, you get some residual out of it.” And at the end of the day, when it comes to managing Kochia, timing is vital. “Start in the fall with a plan. Be super aggressive on your pre-emer- gent, and don’t cut rates. Sprayer speeds should come down and wa- ter volumes should go up.”
fields, depending on the direction of the wind that day.” Another issue with Kochia is its adaptability. “It essentially has the capacity to accumulate carbon within the plant, to help it respirate, so it can handle dry weather better. That’s the reason our Kochia has picked up is because of the drought in 2021, and the past year. Those have been two big Kochia years for us in the number of seeds pro- duced.” Resistance is also a concern. Ko- chia often takes over saline or oth- erwise marginal areas where crops struggle to provide competition. When left to mature, Kochia plants spread seeds over a wide area. Each Kochia plant produces at least 15,000 seeds, often many more. Agriculture and Agri-Food Cana- da showed that Kochia in dense patches with low crop competition can produce millions of seeds per square metre. Most Kochia seeds will germinate or die within one to two years, so growers can quickly reduce the soil seedbank with management steps to prevent Kochia from setting seed. “If you ever had the privilege of picking Kochia, you will know there is such a diverse population of plants. Both in width of leaves and lengths. Some are like shrubs. Some are like trees. There’s multi-colours
by LORI PENNER J ason Hanson has a lot of pictures of Kochia on his phone. “I looked through all the pictures and vid- eos I have. I had 142 pictures and about four or five videos that just fo- cus on Kochia.” Hanson’s fascination with Kochia makes perfect sense. The weed is on the rise in Manitoba, and as an independent crop consultant with RocknRoll Agronomy, he is worried about its effect on local crops. At a recent presentation, he ex- pressed grave concern about the growing appearance of Kochia. Also known as burning bush and sum- mer cypress, the weed is native to Asia and central Europe and was in- troduced to Canada as an ornamen- tal plant by European immigrants. “Kochia can be difficult to man- age, mostly because of its ability to spread and quickly establish itself as a major weed, particularly during drought years,” he said. According to Manitoba Agricul- ture, a provincial weed survey con- ducted in 1997 ranked Kochia as the 14th most abundant weed in south- west Manitoba, an increase from the 26th position where it was ranked in 1986. It was ranked 24th and 30th re- spectively in the central and north- west regions of the province in 1997. Kochia was not observed in the
This weed is becoming something that we really have to be concerned about in our part of the world.We’re continually dealing with it. – Jason Hanson, independent crop consultant
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON Jason Hanson expressed grave concern about the growing appearance of Kochia.
eastern or Interlake regions during the 1997 survey. Although not a pre- dominant weed throughout Mani- toba, it is a serious problem in the southwest region and in localized areas of central Manitoba, particu- larly on saline soils. “This weed is becoming some- thing that we really have to be concerned about in our part of the world,” Hanson said. “We’re contin- ually dealing with it.” Kochia really took charge last year, with the tremendous amount of snowfall in December, which carried through all the way through winter. “The ground was not frozen and when that snow melted, the ground took all that moisture, and we had Kochia that was ahead of us right off the bat. So, we were having to do things that messed up our normal timing.” Hanson pays particular attention to those areas that are habitual for Ko- chia. “That’s where I start- ed to check. The south side of a tree row, shel- ter belt, culverts, or rock piles. Anywhere the sun accumulates a little bit more heat units is generally where I’m going to find Kochia. It’s one of my first weeds to deal with, which means I have to man- age it that way as well.” Kochia produces a tremendous amount of seed, which Hanson said is probably the biggest is- sue. “These plants can break off and they will roll and tumble, it’s like a herd of buffalo coming across the prairie. In the spring, we can go back, and we see all these trails where they criss-cross the
going on. When they pollinate, they drop pollen. I’m a firm believer that once you get to a point when that plant is still there in mid July, if you have pollen, it won’t be long until you have viable seed.” But there is hope, Hanson said. “There is a weakness with this plant. It does produce a tremen- dous amount of seed per weight of the plant, and it gets distrib- uted across fields when the wind blows. But t h a t
January 26, 1998
Farmers must speak louder Harry Enns tells KAP meeting
the process of drawing up regula- tions farmers will have to live with, he said. Enns told KAP delegates the fo- cus of livestock expansion is on hogs because that is shown to be the best opportunity in Manitoba, at this time. It is also the biggest challenge, he added. But the same economics fuel- ling the hog industry applies to beef and Enns hopes it will not be too long before he sees some processing coming back to Mani- toba. That may require a threshold number of 300,000 to half a mil- lion beef animals finished out an- nually to be viable, he noted. It will be the market that will dictate livestock expansion in the province, Enns said. “Pork will be produced because market conditions are right, not because it is being directed by government.” KAP delegates complained about proposed new livestock regulations and questioned the minister about the one-on-one approach the environment de- partment was taking instead of holding public meetings. Enns repeated his assertion that the government is listening and it was important that the voice of agriculture be heard at these open houses. The draft of the regulations pre- sented there will not be carved in stone; now is the time to effect changes, he said. He assured del- egates the new regulations would take into account the differenc- es between small, mid-sized and large operations. The regulations are not there to add unnecessary costs for farmers or to provide employment for en- gineers in lagoon construction. “Farm organizations need to make what they want very clear to me.”
by WES KEATING A griculture Minister Harry Enns says members of or- ganizations like Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) have an uphill battle keeping govern- ment and the public informed of the vital role agriculture plays in the province. Enns told delegates to the KAP meeting in Winnipeg that in spite of strong rural representation on the government side, he sits in the Legislature day after day, week after week without having an agri- cultural issue raised. Crime in the streets and en- vironmental issues are seen far above agriculture, and the public and government alike have lost sight of the important function of agriculture, he said. “If we don’t put food on the ta- ble, it affects all citizens.” Enns complained there was a whole generation out there which believes eggs come in those funny shaped cartons at the supermar- ket and most people believe the same thing about milk. There are animals and a whole lot of agriculture in between, Enns pointed out. Even urban perceptions of an- imal manure odors are different. Residents of Charleswood and Tuxedo obviously do not think horse manure stinks, and thought it was a real blow when they lost their riding stable, Enns said. “Would anybody be as con- cerned about losing a hog barn?” Enns said it would be up to farmers to attend a series of en- vironmental open houses during the current redrafting of livestock regulations and let the govern- ment know what they want. This would be a legitimate place for KAP to make its presence known, while the government is in Anytime... Anywhere For news that matters to people in southeastern Manitoba
MANITOBA AGRICULTURE Kochia emerging from the soil.
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Gerry Friesen shares the story of his own battle with anxiety and depression on social media and at events like the KAP annual meeting.
Wellness program providing therapy for stress on the farm
WES KEATING THE CARILLON
would be very beneficial, Friesen says.
annual meeting in January. “First, go to the website at www.manitoba- farmerwellness.ca. Click on Book an Appoint- ment, then click on Choose a Counsellor.” Counsellors and their bios will come up, Friesen said, and can be contacted directly for an appointment. If the counsellor of choice is in another part of the province and there is no desire to travel for in-person counselling, vir- tual and telephone sessions can be arranged. Speaking from experience, Friesen says he is well aware of the struggle it is to decide to take the first step to seek help when suffering from anxiety, depression or other mental illness. The program is there to help anybody in the farm community, not only the farmer dealing
Encouraged, Friesen, Moffat, Marcel Ha- cault and Roberta Galbraith became the first board of a not-for-profit organization. Their first challenge was to determine a structure for the program. To this end, an advi- sory committee made up of people from vari- ous parts of the country, involved in this kind of work, were helpful. At a board meeting in October of 2021, Friesen suggested they set a goal of having counselling available by March 1, 2022. At the time, there was a great deal of skepticism about whether they could achieve that. The group needed to raise funding, because this was going to be a free service, Friesen said. The board went out “to beat the bushes”
by WES KEATING F armers, for the most part, are an inde- pendent lot, able to handle most of the day-to-day stresses that come with the territory. After all, the vagaries of the weather, market fluctuations, ever-increasing produc- tion costs, and a shrinking profit margin are part of daily life on the farm. But when all of these stresses come at the same time and a farmer and his family feels overwhelmed, the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program is there to help. Chief Administrative Officer Gerry Friesen says the Manitoba Farmer Wellness program was established in 2022 in an effort to help families deal with the increasing stresses of farming. “According to the World Health Organiza- tion, farming is in the top 10 of the most stress- ful of occupations.” A lot of the stresses in farmers’ lives are completely out of their control, Friesen says. Sometimes they just have to look out the win- dow and hope for the best. This year, for exam- ple, there is little snow cover and there is a lot of talk about a possible drought. More and more decisions have to be made on a daily basis, and while it’s not one thing that pushes a farmer to the abyss, a combina- tion of many that may push one over the edge. While Manitoba has had a rural stress line for more than two decades, and Friesen had been a counsellor with that support service for two or three years, there was no in-person counselling available. “There has been talk of in-person counsel- ling for years, but there wasn’t the will or the resources to do it.” In January of 2021, Friesen says he got a call from the counsellor who trained him for the help line asking him to take the ball in setting up what was to become the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program. “I told Kim Moffat, only if we do it together.” There has been an agriculture stress coun- selling program in Prince Edward Island for 20 years, and one that was started in a few coun- ties in Ontario more recently, had been gain- ing traction.
As is the case, with many people suffering from mental illness, Friesen said, he kept pro- crastinating, until a friend suggested he make an appointment for counselling. Friesen said even making that first appointment for coun- selling already helped to relieve his stress, even before meeting his counsellor for the first time. In 2007, Friesen became a volunteer with the Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress Line, see- ing it as an extension of the mediation work he was doing at the time and would give him an opportunity to give back to the agricultural community at large. That experience was the beginning of his own journey of discovery through the laby- rinth of anxiety and depression, he said. He now shares his own story at events like the KAP annual meeting in January. Thanks to a recent funding announcement under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program will be able to reach out to even more farm families in the future. The governments of Canada and Manito- ba are investing $450,000 over three years in the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program to provide access to professional counselling services to Manitoba’s agricultural commu- nity, Friesen said. The funding will support MFWP to ensure a consistent and professional service delivery and a standardized onboarding for new coun- sellors. MFWP works with over 32 industry partners to promote mental wellness and cop- ing strategies and resilience. The funding announcement in January was a welcome surprise for MFWP, but will not re- place the continued outstanding support of industry sponsors, Friesen said. “We never want to forget how this program got going with the support of sponsors and are pleased the federal and provincial gov- ernments recognize its importance. A com- bination of continued industry sponsorship and government funding will allow MFWP to expand to better serve the agricultural com- munity.”
According to the World Health Organization, farming is in the top 10 of the most stressful of occupations.
– Gerry Friesen, CAO Manitoba Farmer Wellness
with the stresses of farming, but also others in family as well. Succession planning for exam- ple creates division in families and those suf- fering from the stresses this causes, all could benefit from the program. It also doesn’t have to be only farm creat- ing the stress and anyone in the farm family in need of counselling qualifies for Manitoba Farmer Wellness assistance. “Our criterion is to have counselling begin as quickly as possible after a request has been made. Usually, the waiting period is no longer than two weeks and depending on the sched- ule of the counsellor chosen, it could be soon- er.” In the public system, wait times are long, and a reluctance to seek help further stretches out the time people go without treatment that
for sponsorships and immediately received overwhelming support from the agricultural industry. Four counsellors, in private practice, with agricultural knowledge, were sought to assist in providing counselling for the program. To- day, these counsellors are spread out about the province with one located in Strathclair, another in Brandon, one in the Winkler/Mor- den area and one in Steinbach. With the program up and running, the MFWP needed to pivot its efforts and move its focus to building public awareness. Farmers are encouraged to contact Mani- toba Farmer Wellness directly and sign up for counselling, which is as easy as three clicks on the computer, Friesen told a packed confer- ence room at Keystone Agriculture Producers
MANITOBA FARMER WELLNESS PROGRAM “Without the farmer, there is no farm” is the message from Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program, as it stresses the importance of dealing with mental health issues.
MANITOBA FARMER WELLNESS PROGRAM A farm couple surveying a golden field of wheat is one of the images MFWP has selected for its website, saying “Mental Health Matters”.
STEINBACH, MAN. THE CARILLON n C7
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
Waterhemp peeks out among soybeans.
Waterhemp – know your enemy
once you run it through the com- bine.” At a recent farm show, Brown told producers there is no clear and easy way to control waterhemp. It thrives in hot, dry weather and germinates throughout the summer. Once you have it, it’s almost impossible to get rid of it. What should you do if you detect water hemp on your field? Brown says weed control must be done when the weeds are small, less than 10 cm or four inches. However, “Rescue treatments” of herbicides have resulted in poor control, at best. Brown believes proper consistent management is the key. “You’re not going to get a popu- lation in a field that is 100 percent resistant to absolutely everything. You’re going to have combinations. And that’s why you keep using lots of different products. Some of them are only going to work on some of those plants. But you have to keep throw- ing stuff at it.” Waterhemp does not appear to be a problem in competitive crops like wheat and canola, but it is a serious issue with corn, dry beans, sunflow- ers, and soybeans. Brown says there are lots of things producers can do that don’t involve a lot of extra capital or work. “You could try herbicide layering to get weeds out early when the crop is non-competitive, and in-crop op- tions become limited.” Other options include narrow windrow burning, chaff carts, chaff lining and tramlining, and weed seed impact mills. Optimizing com- bine settings to ensure weed seeds are captured has also been shown to be effective in waterhemp manage- ment. Manitoba Agriculture also encour- ages direct baling, right behind the combine so nothing hits the ground, and the chaff and the straw are dropped on the conveyor belt and go into a baler.
groups 9 (glyphosate), 2 and 14 her- bicides. Glyphosate resistant plants are showing up on Manitoba fields in an alarming number, producing up to a million seeds per plant. “We’ve kept it out until now, but it is here and it’s not going away,” says Kim Brown, a provincial weed spe- cialist who works with Manitoba Ag- riculture and is involved in training and extension of new and existing weed issues. “Getting those invasive plants far away from your field and keep- ing them away should be a prior- ity for every producer. You should pick them out. You should not run it through your combine because you will spread those thousands and thousands of seeds across your field. And that combine will spread it as well. You can’t clean pigweed seeds out. It’s tiny like little flakes of pep- per. It just sticks. You will never clean it out. You will move it to every field
by LORI PENNER M anitoba Agriculture is urg- ing producers to keep their eyes open for waterhemp during the upcoming crop season and do whatever it takes to keep the plant’s insidious seeds from spread- ing. Tall waterhemp (Amaranthus tu- berculatus), is a prolific Tier 1 weed under Manitoba’s Noxious Weed Act that can devastate crop yields. While it’s been problematic in the U.S. for years, it was only discovered in Man- itoba in 2016 and confirmed in 2017. By 2019, it was found in five munici- palities. That number has now risen to eight. These detections have involved a substantial number of acres and sig- nificant hours of mowing and spray- ing to destroy plant material. Tests of Manitoba waterhemp show some plants are resistant to
LORI PENNER THE CARILLON
Kim Brown, Manitoba Agriculture provincial weed specialist.
them, so waterhemp will not seed, but even this measure has limited results. “Everywhere where there is a gap or black dirt, the seeds can take a hold. Every seed is resistant and can grow as big as it wants. We have to do everything we can to stop the seed from returning to the soil. We can do lots of things, like pick a taller variety of crop, seed heavy, and ensure good fertility to get that crop up and going. We want to have good emergence. We need to cover the ground quickly and we won’t have these problems.” Farmers who spot an unusual looking weed should contact their agronomist or Kim Brown at kim. brown@gov.mb.ca. They can also submit samples to the PSI Lab at mbpestlab.ca/about/.
“Those weed seeds are still there, but they’re in that bale. And they’re moved off the field. So that is some- thing that we are very concerned about, but that at least stops them from spreading in that particu- lar field. And if that straw is being used as feed somewhere, we have to watch that manure. Those seeds are not slowed down at all by going through an animal.” Brown says producers need to learn to practice weed control with non-chemical methods. “The chem- icals we have will fail. It’s only going to get worse. So, we have to do ev- erything we can outside the spray tank to reduce the number of weeds we are spraying and the number of weeds on our field.” Manitoba municipalities are watching their ditches and mowing
Accent on Agriculture by JIM RAE T he annual meeting of the Keystone Agricultural Pro- ducers was held last week in
Another speaker quoted the American billionaire, J. Paul Get- ty, who is reputed to have said, “The meek shall inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights.” The speaker pointed out that farmers are among the most meek people in society, but they pay a big price for not being more aggressive, not beating the drum for their con- cerns. But there was another way to showing the state of Manitoba ag- riculture. And that was from who didn’t appear. The only federal pol- itician was John Harvard, a Winni- peg MP and parliamentary secre- tary to the agriculture minister. And no other provincial politi- cian, government or opposition, was there, listening to the issues being debated, or discussing the role government should take. And as for the media, well, the farm press you would expect was there. But the ones farmers would like to show up, like the Winnipeg Free Press and CJOB didn’t. So the story of what’s important to farm- ers, what concerns them, what is getting done, won’t be told. At least, not to the general public. Delegates will tell you it was a successful convention, and it was. But at the same time, it was a dis- appointing one. (Jim Rae is the former host of In- formation Radio on CBC Radio. He retired from the job in 1996, after 30 years as a farm broadcaster. The long-time journalist and author of this column for 27 years, died after an accident Feb 2 , 2024. He was 83)
Winnipeg. It was a real eye-opener if this was one’s first venture into the politics of farming. As a farmer sits on his tractor or milks cows, or trucks animals or grain to market, it seems to them that agriculture is the basis of life. It’s the basic block upon which Manitoba is built. Without food production, where would any of us be? But that’s not the story the rest of society is receiving. There were many examples. The provincial minister of agriculture, Harry Enns, told the delegates that days, weeks, and months go by with not one question for him on agriculture. He said that farmers all think farming is the backbone of the province, but if you sat through a session of the legislature, one would never even know that there was a farm business in the prov- ince. Jack Wilkinson, the Ontario farm- er who is president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, raised a few eyebrows when it took a shot at Premier Gary Filmon for so aggres- sively courting Maple Leaf Foods and its $112 million hog processing plant in Brandon. But then the CFA president told the farmers where he was coming from. He said Canadian farmers invest 6.2 billion dollars in their farms, every year!
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n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C8
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