“New-venture coaches do their best to help you get your business to-do list into reality, to get a new income stream planned for the farm into a sustainable business, or even just support a startup grower to find the path,” said Jan Warren, a new-venture specialist with Alberta Agriculture.

The department also has experts in areas such as water quality, food safety, processing, and other areas.

To contact a new-venture coach, call the Alberta Ag Info Centre at 310-FARM (310-3276).

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“Maintaining an empty catch basin will help to reduce the risk of overflow next spring,” said Cody Metheral, a provincial extension specialist in confined feeding operations. “During pump-out, it is important to remember that overapplication of catch basin contents could result in run-off from the field, and producers should only apply liquids as field conditions allow.”

There are a number of resources available to help producers with emptying a catch basin, he said, including a fact sheet available at agriculture.alberta.ca.

“Plus, producers may be interested in the Growing Forward 2 funding support to construct new or improve an existing catch basin.”

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry also has a CADMAN liquid manure pump and CADMAN travelling sprinkler unit available for producers to borrow to empty their catch basins.

“The unit is currently in the Lethbridge area and operators are asked to complete equipment training and develop a catch basin management plan prior to use,” said Metheral.

For more information on catch basin management, funding support, and borrowing the catch basin pumping unit, call the Alberta Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276).

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“Pasture rental rates can be difficult to figure out because there are many factors to consider such as local availability of land and pasture, localized demand, quality of the pasture, condition of the existing fences and water, and bargaining,” said Dean Dyck, a farm business management specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler.

“Preliminary indications for 2015 grazing season are that demand for pasture will continue to be strong, even though the recent Statistics Canada cattle inventory shows a decline of beef cows of three per cent and replacement heifers of 2.7 per cent in Alberta,” said Dyck. “Grass cattle numbers are also down due in part to the large price slides seen in the past few years. An expected increase in pasture rent this year can be attributed to the higher prices for calves, the lack of grassers, and the decline in available pasture in the province.”

Usually variations in rent are small, and have ranged between $18 and $26 per animal unit month since 2005, said Dyck.

A fair rental rate should be a balance between who will be supervising the cattle, how much can the landlord charge, how much the tenant can afford to pay, and the carrying capacity of the pasture, he said.

“The landowner’s goal should be to recover land taxes, the cost of any fence repairs, and a return on land investment,” said Dyck. “Conversely, the tenant should calculate what they could afford to pay based on projected costs and returns. For example, if the rented pasture will be used to graze steers, the tenant should consider the price for feeder cattle in the spring, what the expected selling price will be in the fall, and what some of the costs of pasturing will be, including mineral and salt, medication, and interest on investment in cattle.”

Labour and possible travel costs should be estimated if the home place is far from the cattle, and the quality of pasture and location of the water supply should also be factored in.

“Even though owners and renters want a definitive answer when asking about pasture rental rates, the best answer may be ‘It depends,’” said Dyck. “It should start with a survey of the local market rates, calculating expected return for both parties, negotiating a fair rate, and end with a written agreement.”

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However, hay stands can also be terminated in the spring. Producers just need to be aware of a number of factors that can impact success.

“Spring termination of hay land will delay the seeding date two to three weeks,” said Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler.

“In order for herbicide applications to be effective, sufficient plant material must be present. Grasses should be at the three- to four-leaf stage and legumes need to be actively growing to allow for good herbicide coverage. Seeding will need to be delayed three to five days after the herbicide application to allow thorough translocation into the forage plants and newly germinated weeds.”

A number of factors influence the type of annual crop to be seeded, said Yaremcio.

“With sod seeding, the most consistent results have occurred with cereal crops such as barley or oats. The larger seed size with cereals allows seeds to be placed beneath the thatch layer into soil where good soil-to-seed contact occurs. Crop competitiveness must also be considered. Seed quality, seeding rate, seeding depth, crop height and fertilizer placement are all factors that producers need to consider.”

In many areas of the province, conservation of spring moisture is essential for crop establishment. Direct seeding into sod will retain available soil moisture that would be lost if multiple tillage operations were used to prepare a seedbed. Even with direct seeding, available soil moisture will be reduced as the forage species grows to an appropriate stage for spraying. Soil fertility must also be evaluated.

“Remember that late-seeded crops will have a shorter growing season to produce grain. In these situations, seeding a crop that can be used for silage or greenfeed offers a viable end use for these fields.”

Controlling perennial species with a glyphosate product is not as effective as fall application, said Yaremcio.

“There is a 15 to 20 per cent reduction in control when spring applied. This could be caused by the plants emerging after the application or if the thatch is thick, the herbicide does not come into contact with the new growth. It’s likely that a fall application of glyphosate pre-harvest will be required to get the level of control that’s required.”

For a fact sheet on spring termination of hay land go to agriculture.alberta.ca and search for ‘hay termination.’

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“Producers are familiar with the concept of competition, as in crowding out weeds in a field using row spacing, stand density, etc.,” said Dustin Morton, commercial horticulture specialist, at the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler.

“Biocontrol agents can also be used as competition. This could include using Pseudomonas bacteria to block potential entryways for fireblight in fruit crops or Bacillus subtilis to outcompete powdery mildew.”

These micro-organisms don’t attack or infect the pest itself, their presence can be enough to deter other more problematic species, he said.

“Alternatively, these agents might infect the plant of concern, inducing a defence response that allows the plant to fend off an attack from another more dangerous pathogen or insect.”

Another method biocontrol agents use to help control plant pests is known as antibiosis or antagonistic association. In this case a biocontrol agent “runs interference with a pest.”

“Perhaps the best-known example is Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, which paralyzes the mid-gut when ingested by the larvae of Lepidopteran insects such as cabbage worm or European corn borer,” said Morton. “As the biocontrol agent continues to break down, it also produces a toxin which will eventually kill the larvae but is safe for humans, animals and other insects. Given how targeted these agents are, much research is being done in this area because of its potential to reduce casualties in other beneficial insects.”

However, Morton does have a caution for growers.

“When using a biopesticide such as Bt or Pseudomonas, it’s important to remember these agents are registered with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency with Health Canada,” he said. “Due care and attention should be paid to all labels for information on application and pre-harvest interval to ensure you can sell your product when you want and for the price you deserve.”

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“Many people may now be aware that the majority of the hemp grown in Alberta is for seed purposes,” said Harry Brook, crop specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler.

“The market is strong for hemp seed but the fibre market is stalled due to a lack of a processing plant. However, there is one planned for southern Alberta.”

There is a lot of interest in growing hemp, especially with conventional crop prices being on the decline this year, said Brook.

“Manitoba Harvest and Hemp Oil Canada, that are the two biggest companies that sign up producers to grow hemp, say they are filled up with conventional-produced hemp. However, they are still looking for organic producers, and that is where the opportunities are right now.”

Before growing hemp, growers need permission from Health Canada.

“Unless it’s one or two of the most common varieties, you will have to send in a sample at your cost to be tested for THC (tetrahydrocannabinol),” said Brook. “You’ll also have to show what fields you are growing hemp in, the number of acres, and where you are getting the seed.

Once approved, there are other agronomic considerations as well.

“Hemp is fairly easy to grow and develops rapidly,” he said.

“However, you want to keep plant height down to a manageable level. It’s a very fibrous crop and you need to minimize the biomass going through your combine to avoid starting a fire. But while growing hemp has its challenges, it also can pay you well for the trouble.”

For more information, call the Ag-Info Centre at 310-FARM (3276).

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