Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. said Wednesday it would double the “low yield appraisal” threshold values on cereal or pulse crop acres put to feed.

SCIC gave the example of a barley crop on which the write-off threshold was seven bushels per acre. Wednesday’s announcement doubles that threshold to 14.

That means if the barley crop yields 14 or fewer bu./ac., the grower’s updated future coverage would be based in part on that yield level — but the yield used for this year’s crop insurance claim would be set at zero bu./ac.

Thus, the grower’s crop insurance coverage would “not be negatively impacted if customers chose to divert grain crops to feed,” the province said in Wednesday’s release.

Growers are still asked to contact the local SCIC office and talk over their options before grazing, baling or silaging such crops — but are otherwise encouraged to make arrangements with their neighbours.

“I want to encourage grain producers to work with neighbouring livestock producers to make feed available,” provincial Ag Minister David Marit said, so damaged crops intended for harvest “can be put to an alternate use.”

Waterworks

The province on Wednesday also announced a temporary boost to the 50 per cent funding available through its federal/provincial farm and ranch water infrastructure program (FRWIP) for ranchers to set up pipelines, wells or dugouts.

The maximum rebate ranchers can get from FRWIP for costs related to dugouts, pipelines and wells is usually capped at $50,000 over the life of the program.

However, retroactive to April 1 this year and up to March 31, 2022, the maximum FRWIP rebate for livestock producers only will increase to $150,000.

The first $50,000 will be based on the usual 50-50 cost-share, while the remaining $100,000 will be on a 70-30 government-producer cost-share, the province said.

The new boost in FRWIP funding follows Saskatchewan’s recent expansion to the federal/provincial Farm Stewardship Program to help back ranchers in building ponds, ditches, dikes or berms to collect or manage runoff.

Tax deferral

The province said Wednesday it has also put in the formal request for the federal government to designate the entire province as an eligible area through the livestock tax deferral program.

That program allows producers in designated jurisdictions who may need to liquidate part of a breeding herd due to feed or water shortages (or due to excess moisture, in years when that happens) to temporarily defer income tax owing on those livestock sales.

Wednesday’s announcements come as farm groups and others call for governments to help drought-affected farmers.

Ontario MP Lianne Rood, the opposition ag critic for the federal Conservatives, released a letter Wednesday to federal Ag Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, asking for not only all of Saskatchewan, but all of Alberta and Manitoba and parts of British Columbia and western Ontario, to be designated under the livestock tax deferral program.

Rood also asked Bibeau to set up federal/provincial programs under AgriRecovery to support affected farms buying replacement feed. “During past drought seasons this has proven an effective response,” she wrote.

Separately, the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) on Wednesday called for Marit and Bibeau to designate the entire province for the tax deferral plan, and to “assist with water supplies and water quality management.”

APAS had also asked the province to “help expedite the conversion of drought-damaged crops into livestock feed such as green feed, silage, or grazing.”

APAS also asked the governments to extend the enrolment period for the AgriStability farm income stabilization program — and reiterated its June 29 call for the province to increase AgriStability’s compensation rate to 80 per cent from the current 70, following Ontario’s recent move.

“The government can’t make it rain, but there are concrete actions they can take to alleviate some of the burdens producers are dealing with,” APAS president Todd Lewis said in a separate release Wednesday.

Current drought conditions “represent a real threat to the livelihoods of western Canadian livestock producers who may face shortages of feed and pasture directly leading to the culling of their herds,” Rood said in her letter. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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A fall inspection should start with a check of the area that feeds into the dugout, said provincial water specialist Dan Benson.

“A properly graded, mowed grassed waterway is an excellent best-management practice that can reduce turbidity and nutrient-rich water from entering your dugout,” he said. “Not only will it improve your water quality, it’ll extend the life of your dugout.”

Any debris should be removed, and tree growth should also be discouraged near dugouts.

“Leaves falling off of deciduous trees will add nutrients to your dugout that’ll contribute to poor water quality,” said Benson. “Deciduous trees should be kept back 165 feet, or 50 metres, and conifers should be no closer than 65 feet, or 20 metres.”

An inlet structure, such as a gated culvert, should be inspected to confirm that it still operates properly.

“If you don’t have a method of controlling the flow of water into your dugout, you might want to consider adding this feature. The ability to choose what water enters your dugout is an important management tool that will improve your water quality and the lifespan of your dugout.”

Next, inspect the aeration system and confirm it’s working.

“You should also remove your aeration line by pulling it to shore,” said Benson. “Once on shore, check the soundness of the line and the check-valve. At this time, you should also inspect the diffuser to make sure that it’s working correctly. If not, clean it or replace it. If you don’t have a diffuser, you should install one.”

A diffuser located on the bottom of the dugout provides the best water quality.

If the system uses a floating intake, it should be inspected and cleaned. It should also be lowered to 1.25 to 1.5 metre so the intake line stays below the ice during winter.

“Remember that during winter, dugout aeration systems can result in open or weak areas in the dugout ice,” added Benson. “These conditions can be very dangerous for young children, pets, and people snowmobiling at night. It’s essential to educate your children about these hazards and post the area with highly visible warning signs and a fluorescent snow fence around the open water area.

“For greater safety, it’s best if farmyard dugouts are fenced to avoid unauthorized access.”

For more information, consult a publication called Quality Farm Dugouts on the Alberta Agriculture website. For information on funding for construction of dugouts or other farm water supply projects, visit the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

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An inspection should start with a check of the area that feeds into the dugout, said Dan Benson.

“Make sure that this area is free of debris that might flow into your dugout,” he said. “A properly graded, mowed grassed waterway is an excellent best management practice that can reduce turbidity and nutrient-rich water from entering your dugout. Not only will it improve your water quality, it’ll extend the life of your dugout.”

You also don’t want trees right next to a dugout as falling leaves add nutrients and reduce water quality.

“Deciduous trees should be kept back 165 feet (50 metres) and conifers should be no closer than 65 feet (20 metres),” said Benson.

A gated culvert is a good feature to have and if you have one, it should be inspected to confirm that it operates correctly.

Also inspect the aeration system.

“Confirm that the pump is working. You should also remove your aeration line by pulling it to shore. Once on shore, check the soundness of the line and the check-valve.”

The diffuser should also be checked and cleaned (or replaced if not working properly).

“Also, check that the diffuser is located on, or near, the bottom of the dugout,” said Benson. “Research has shown that year-round continuous aeration with a diffuser located on the bottom of the dugout provides the best water quality.”

The operating system should also be inspected.

“If you use a floating intake, it should be inspected and cleaned. If possible, this is best done by pulling your floating intake to shore. Your intake should be lowered, so it is about four to five feet below the water surface. In most situations, this’ll give sufficient depth to provide water after the float freezes in the ice. You should also ensure that the intake line is weighted correctly, so it stays below the ice during winter.”

Finally, remember that aeration systems produce weak ice or open areas, which pose a danger to children and pets, and when snowmobiling at night.

“It’s essential to educate your children about these hazards and post the area with highly visible warning signs and a fluorescent snow fence around the open water area. For greater safety, it’s best if farmyard dugouts are fenced to avoid unauthorized access.”

The post Checking the dugout should be on the winter prep list appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

In a study done at the Western Beef Development Centre, cow-calf pairs were provided with either direct access to a dugout or access to troughs of untreated water pumped from the same dugout. Calves with cows that drank from the troughs gained an additional 0.09 pound per day — or an extra 18 pounds per calf during the trial.

The reason is cattle with access to pumped water on summer pasture drink more. Pumped water is cleaner and more palatable because dugout water is contaminated with feces and urine. And cows that drink more water spend more time eating and therefore produce more milk for their calves.

Treating surface water by aerating — or with coagulation and chlorination — has the potential to increase weight gain further. The same study found that yearling steers had eight to nine per cent higher weight gains when they had access to coagulated or aerated water before it was pumped compared to steers that only had access to dugout water. Steers gained three per cent more weight with access to untreated pumped dugout water versus direct dugout access.

Cattle weight gains are not the only benefits of pumping water. Producers can also prevent environmental, herd health, and pasture utilization problems that can result from direct watering from surface water sources.

Despite the costs, time, and effort of researching, installing, and maintaining watering systems, pumping water has the potential to increase profits.

For more information, see the Water Systems section at www.foragebeef.ca.

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“Blue-green algae is actually cyanobacteria, and can produce toxins that can be very dangerous,” said Shawn Elgert, a provincial agricultural water engineer. “It can cause organ damage or even death if ingested by livestock or pets. If you are trying to determine the cause of poisoning, there are other potential toxins on the farm that can also cause damage to cattle such as poisonous plants. An example of this is water hemlock.”

The first important step is to identify the type of growth, he said.

“Blue-green algae can look like blue-green scum, pea soup, or grass clippings suspended in the water. You should start watching for it when the temperatures increase.”

If blue-green algae is suspected in a dugout, be cautious.

“You should contact a water specialist to diagnose the growth to determine if it is potentially a toxic growth,” said Elgert. “You should also remove your livestock from the water source in the interim and prevent them from accessing it. One rule of thumb is that if you can grab it as a solid mass in your hand, that is not blue-green algae.”

There is a copper product registered for use on blue-green algae in farm dugouts.

“Once you treat it, consumption should be restricted for up to a month. The use of copper will break the cells open and release the toxins, if present, into the water all at once. So it’s important that you stop using the water during this time so the toxins can degrade. You can follow up with aluminum sulphate and/or hydrated lime treatments afterwards to remove the nutrients from the water to prevent regrowth.”

There are also preventive measures that can be taken.

“Temperature is an important factor in the growth of blue-green algae, so a deeper dugout with slopes that are not too flat would help make the dugout water cooler.

For information on reducing nutrients — which are required for growth of blue-green algae — from entering a dugout, see the Quality Farm Dugouts manual (go to www.agriculture.alberta.ca and search for ‘quality dugout’).

“Buffer strips and grassed waterways are examples of how you can reduce nutrients,” said Elgert. “Dugouts should not be built in the waterway as sediments can bring more nutrients into the dugout and depth can be lost quickly. Aeration of the dugout can also help improve the water quality. Also, a dye packet can be thrown into the dugout to help prevent photosynthesis from occurring, thereby reducing the growth of blue-green algae. However, one action alone may not be enough to prevent growth.”

Wind can push the blue-green algae into highly concentrated pockets where the risk of harm is higher.

“Since blue-green algae can rise or fall in the water column, inspection of the dugout should include peering into the deeper part of the water. Always be safe around the dugout by going along with another person and have a rope with a flotation device attached.”

For more information or assistance, contact an Alberta Agriculture water specialist at 310-FARM (3276).

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