U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly that the trade talks would resume next week with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He returning to Washington to meet with him and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Trump, speaking alongside Mnuchin, questioned his Treasury chief about the request that the Chinese delay a trip to meet with U.S. farmers in Montana and Nebraska. Mnuchin had said the trip was delayed at the administration’s request to avoid confusion over the talks.

“Why was that our request, just out of curiosity?” Trump asked.

Mnuchin explained again that the U.S. side “didn’t want confusion around the trade issues.”

Trump then interjected: “Yeah, but I want them to buy farm products.”

“There was no confusion,” Mnuchin replied. “We want them to buy agriculture. They have committed to buy agriculture. And they’re doing that.”

Trump added that China had “committed to buy a lot of agriculture” and the United States should ship the products as fast as possible.

The exchange came after Chicago grain traders said Chinese importers on Monday had bought about 10 boatloads of U.S. soybeans — around 600,000 tonnes — to be shipped from Pacific Northwest ports from October through December. News of the deals sent soybean futures prices higher.

Cancellation of the planned trip cast a pall over conclusion of two days of U.S.-China trade talks last week, sending U.S. stocks lower. People familiar with the talks said that there were no new substantive offers made, but both the U.S. and Chinese sides said the talks were productive, and that minister-level talks would take place in early October.

— Reporting for Reuters by Steve Holland; additional reporting by Jeff Mason, David Lawder and Karl Plume; writing by David Lawder.

The post Trump questions request for Chinese delay on farm trip appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“The technology is diversifying every year, and the ideas keep getting better,” said Rod Bradshaw, a vegetable and crop grower from Innisfail.

He’s also chair of Agri-Trade’s ag innovations committee that chooses three products for its innovations awards.

“We believe this year’s winning entries will have broad appeal and could be readily adopted by a lot of farmers,” said Bradshaw.

This year’s winners are the STOCKade ST400i, the Tire Jogger, and Michelin North America (Canada) CargoXBib high flotation tire.

STOCKade ST400i

“No more sore black thumbs, no more sore arms and shoulders from swinging a hammer beating in staples for hours on end, no more bleeding from cuts by sharp staples while digging them out of a bucket,” said Axle Boris of FenceFast, a distributor of this nine-gauge cordless fence stapler (see photo at top).

STOCKade first developed staplers for the New Zealand market and the introduction of the ST315 pneumatic batten fence stapler “dramatically increased the productivity of farmers and contractors alike,” said Boris.

The launch of the ST400 in 2013 saw STOCKade expand internationally into the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Australia. The development of the ST400i in 2016 was “driven by farmers and fencing contractors wanting a powerful and portable post stapling system not reliant on compressors and hoses.”

Launched in Canada at the Ag in Motion farm show this summer, the ST400i uses gas fuel cells and a Li-ion battery to fire staples.

“The response from everyone who tried a demo of the tool was overly positive,” Boris said.

The stapler, which weighs just over nine pounds, can hold two strips of 25 staples and the depth can be adjusted so there is no striker damage to the staple.

“With the ability to drive staples at a minimum of five times faster and in some cases, in excess of 15 times faster this tool is a real time saver, whether you put a monetary value on your time or not,” said Boris. “Yes the cost to purchase our staples is high per staple to that of loose pail hand staples, however, when one factors in the cost and time savings on labour we estimate it to only be a cent or two more per staple.”

Several custom fencers along with ranchers are already using this product, he said.

“We also have many who have been using our pneumatic ST400 stapler,” he said. “However, having to pack around an 80-pound air compressor to supply it with air makes this tool far less convenient.”

FenceFast is the Canadian sole distributor for STOCKade. It sells it online and has a list of dealers at www.fencefast.ca.

The stapler retails for about $2,000, but the company rents it for $95 a day at its Langley, B.C. location and expects tool rental companies in ranching areas will start to offer it.

“For those who perhaps cannot justify purchasing a tool, it is our goal to make the tool more readily available for rental,” Boris said. “If you’re just fencing 10 acres, you might not need to own the tool. Those who do purchase the tool, however, can say they own the largest cordless stapler in the world.”

Tire Jogger

Safety is paramount with this product.

“It makes handling dangerous skinny tires very easy,” said Randy Raczynski of Raczynski Sales in Fillmore, Sask.

The Tire Jogger is a skid steer attachment that is designed for handling high-clearance sprayer tires, but can handle any farm tire from 44 inches to 104 inches in diameter. Because it is a skid steer attachment, the tire can be picked up whether it’s laying flat on the ground or standing. Once on the attachment, the tire can then be rotated either manually or electrically.

“You do not touch the tire to put it on,” Raczynski said.

Developed by North Dakota farmer Greg Grengs, the Tire Jogger uses hydraulic cylinders to grab, hold, and rotate large tires from the safety of the skid steer. Two large metal ‘arms’ (that are four inches wide and 16 inches long) securely grip and hold the treads on large tires.

The device fits any skid steer with a universal mounting bracket, however, machines 60 hp or larger are recommended because the weight is carried well in front of the machine. Skid steers are preferred because of the hydrostatic drive to inch forward or backward.

The operator has a clear and close view in front of him which is especially important when trying to line up bolt patterns on tires. Plates are available for New Holland bidirectionals, also.

“They didn’t want to make it for regular tractor loaders because you are too far away and there is too much movement in your loader,” said Raczynski.

The Tire Jogger can lift up to 2,000 pounds. A pressure gauge is visible so that the operator can tell how hard they are squeezing the tire.

The early response has been great, he said.

“I was at the Saskatoon Crop Production Show and I had one guy walk by, watch the video, walk over to me and hand me a cheque saying, ‘I want one,’ without asking any questions. He said, ‘I came so close to getting killed by a skinny tire falling on me, it’s not going to happen again.’”

Raczynski Sales (www.grainsystems.ca) is the sole distributor in Canada.

Michelin North America (Canada) CargoXBib high flotation tire

This tire is made for manure tankers or trailers and is one of the new additions to Michelin’s recently revamped large implement line.

Designed with Michelin Ultraflex Technologies, the tire is able to fully utilize central inflation systems and get to the lowest pressures possible while in the field for the most soil protection possible. Since there is a greater volume of air in a wider tire, it makes it possible to lower the tire pressure and reduce the impact on the soil. For a manure taker with a load of 13,000 points at 25 m.p.h., the CargoXBib HF tires can be inflated to 41 psi, well below the recommendations of competitors’ tires.

This tire is compatible with remote inflation capability, improving performance and productivity. It also has solid rounded shoulders, which prevents irregular wear and improves manoeuvrability.

The post A need for speed, making the farm safer, and less compaction appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

1) The U.S. has long been the No. 1 importer of Alberta agri-food products (raw commodities and processed products). What country is No. 2 and did its purchases go up or down in 2014?
2) Which major buyer doubled its purchases in 2014 and what drove the increase?
3) Suds or spuds? In dollar terms, does Alberta export more malt or more processed potatoes?
4) Name the bigger buyer in each of these pairs: Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh? Peru or India? Hong Kong or Turkey?

1) Who is No. 2?

China bought $1.3 billion of Alberta agri-food products last year, with canola accounting for more than half of that. But even though it upped its canola buy to $783 million (an 18 per cent jump), the overall total fell by 12.4 per cent from 2013. Sales of wheat, dried peas, and “other beverages” all suffered major declines, according to provincial data.

Although it’s not likely to come up on “Jeopardy,” the second most valuable Alberta product exported to China is raw hides and skins. It bought $202 million worth of hides last year.

And even though exports to the world’s second-largest economy dipped last year, the trend is strongly upwards — a decade ago, total exports were just $350 million.

2) Who bought twice as much?

For just the second time in the past decade, South Korea’s purchases topped the $200-million mark. The other time was in 2011, when wheat sales surged, only to promptly plunge the next year.

Wheat accounted for a third of last year’s $228 million in sales to South Korea, with pork coming in at No. 2 with $36 million. Beef sales tripled to $23 million but that wasn’t enough for third spot — that honour goes to hides at $27 million.

3) Suds or spuds?

Processed potatoes — a.k.a. french fries — get the nod with $253 million in sales. But malt sales weren’t far behind at $226 million.

The strength of both sectors may surprise those who think Alberta is just cows, canola, and wheat. The combined potato/malt total is $479 million, which is what exports of live cattle were in 2013. However, cattle sales surged by 50 per cent in 2014 to $715 million.

4) Bigger buyer?

Only a dozen countries spent nine figures or more on Alberta farm products last year. Peru (No. 8) and Bangladesh (No. 10) were in that category, while Saudi Arabia (No. 14) and India (No. 40) were not.

But all four are examples of how you never know who might be a buyer. Sales to Peru have quintupled over the last decade and Bangladesh bought just $9.4 million of Alberta farm products 10 years ago.

The latter two are up-and-down customers. Sales to Saudi Arabia went from $168 million in 2009 to $25 million in 2013, and then jumped to $88 million last year. India is all over the map — $5 million in 2005, $85 million in 2006, back to a few million during the 2008-10 period, nearly $60 million in each of the following two years, and then down to $18 million last year.

And Hong Kong or Turkey?

That’s a gimme. Hong Kong was just out of the Top 5 with $192 million in purchases while Turkey just squeaks into the Top 50 list at $11 million.

The full list of who bought the bounty of Alberta agriculture can be downloaded at agriculture.alberta.ca.

The post Farmers. Do you know your customer? Try this pop quiz appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“Before you start, you need to do your homework and research what is already available and what is needed,” said Kathy Bosse, new-venture specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

“This may seem like a daunting task, but there is assistance available.”

The new-venture specialists provide assistance to new or existing producers and small processors in Alberta who are looking to develop a new business idea or expand an existing enterprise. They provide information and tools to help make decisions regarding business development and growth. They can also connect them with others in the industry who can help them with their ideas.

“The goal of this team is to coach individuals to develop business wisdom and to understand what it takes to be a successful business,” said Bosse. “The team asks the tough questions such as: What is unique? Why would I buy your product or service? Who is your primary customer?

“They also provide information on trends, market channels, regulations, financing and much more.”

To reach a new-venture coach, call 310-FARM (3276).

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