Jonathan Neilson, from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, said southern Alberta provides the perfect testing area.

WHY IT MATTERS: Increasingly extreme weather patterns in Alberta could put crops like potatoes at more risk for damage and loss of yields.

“The frequency and intensity of hailstorms and severe wind is increasing, and Alberta is considered hail alley for Canada,” he said.

“The other thing that seems to be a trend that’s happening is that the timing of the events is going outside of what would normally be considered the season (peak activity occurring mid-June to early August). So we’re seeing hail earlier and then also later.”

Neilson and his team have found that the timing of severe weather affects potatoes’ growth ability and quality.

A hailstorm before the tuber sets is unlikely to have much of an impact. However, a hailstorm of the same magnitude affects tuber size, shape and processing quality if it were to happen during tuber bulking.

Preliminary results from his ongoing study with heat domes is showing similar results.

The impacts of severe weather can also extend beyond the current growing season. Heat domes appear to affect tuber seed dormancy, which can have negative impacts on seed quality.

“When you get hit by stress, particularly if it happens before the potatoes have set, the plant has time to recover. They might be delayed a week or two, but they’re able to regrow the damaged tissue and not have any real lasting effects. If it happens late in the growing season, in terms of yield, there’s not as much effect, because the potato’s already been produced,” said Neilson.

“It’s that middle spot where you see the most impact. So around here, that would be in July-August, and that’s where you start seeing an impact on the total yield. You’ll see fewer tubers. You might get double sets. And then beyond the yield, it starts affecting the quality. In Canada, most of the potato growing here is destined for the processing market for french fries, chips, breakfast stuff. How the plant allocates carbon is really important. It’s an overall reflection on how much growth you get. So it could affect the size profile. You could get a mix of big potatoes and undersized, and that’s going to affect how much of your crop actually gets converted into whatever your end market is.”

Neilson said extreme heat is being seen more frequently as all-time temperature records continue to be broken.

However, it is not about how much the temperature spikes but if it remains elevated for a prolonged time.

Potatoes tend to like warmer days with cooler nights, with different parts of the plant having different thermal optimums. Depending on the temperature, it could favour root growth or shoot growth.

This year, Neilson did a greenhouse trial with heat domes at different parts of the growing season.

“We found if you got a lot of extreme heat later in the growing season, the potato tubers were coming out of the pots already sprouting. So we know that’s going to have effects on when they go into storage,” he said.

“It also potentially affects the seed industry because the seed is already going into storage, kind of ready to sprout. It’s going to have an impact on how that seed performs late.”

The research is now developing a risk-assessment tool. The hail/wind research is finished, an Excel spreadsheet has been built and there are plans to build a more robust tool in the future.

“You put in the developmental stage the plant was at, how badly you got hit and it will give you an estimate on what your potential losses could be. We’re looking at total yield, but we’re also looking to add some of these quality metrics on to it, and then also doing a similar thing looking at the heat domes,” said Neilson.

“We’re also looking at the use of biostimulants to try and offset some of these effects. We found … some sprays in controlled environments are known to increase growth and resistance to stress. When we apply those before we experience a simulated hailstorm, we’re able to lessen the negative impacts. The yields are higher, the sizes are larger.”

Researchers have also been working on ways to better assess the colour patterns of potatoes because heat stress moves carbons into the sugar pool instead of starch. When fried, the french fry can produce uneven burn/colour patterns, resulting in the potato being downgraded for less profit.

Neilson’s research is funded by the Results Driven Agriculture Research fund, Potato Growers of Alberta and the Alberta Potato Investment Fund.

“We need grower buy-in to translate what we are learning into actionable, useful things,” he said.

The post Hail research hopes to benefit potato growers appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The community has answered the call to help Denis and Melissa Jackson’s family of six at White Barn Fun Farm, just outside Brooks, Alta.

The exotic animal farm, which has been open to the public since 2018, has been a hit with camp kids for years.

It suffered the loss of five-year-old Stoli, a Bactrian camel, and Butterscotch, a nine-year-old pony, which were killed in the storm. They were seeking refuge under trees that fell on them.

The two may have been different species but were inseparable as friends.

“Stoli wasn’t your typical camel. He was so friendly and very personable. You could ride him and he’d never bite or spit at people, and he tolerated the kids,” said Liza Maurette, who has started a GoFundMe page for the farm, covering costs not covered by insurance.

“Camels can be a little ornery, but he was a complete sweetheart. I would go there and lean up against his enclosure he was in and put my back on the fence talking to people. He would come put his head on my shoulder and kind of lick my cheek a bit and say, ‘I’m here.'”

“His best friend Butterscotch also perished.”

Denis was working in his shop and had 10 minutes to get his animals to more protected areas before the full force of the hailstorm hit.

After Denis settled his animals, he took shelter in the house, only to have Butterscotch and Stoli decide to venture to a different spot under two large and well-rooted trees, which eventually fell.

“It was under two trees on the far side of their pasture. They figured the tree would be better shelter, but unfortunately it wasn’t a good decision,” said Maurette.

The farm also features yaks, emus, alpacas, peacocks, goats, bison, horses, ducks, and geese, which are a source of delight for families, camps and school tours from April to October.

Besides helping run the farm, Melissa also serves as a special needs worker for Maurette’s daughter, Emily, who has Down syndrome.

“Emily is very good with animals,” Maurette said.

“She helps the kids get comfortable around them and show how to feed them. She’s really good between working with the kids and the animals. It’s the most beautiful symbiotic relationship one could hope for.”

Things insurance can’t cover

People often think insurance means that everything is covered in the event of a natural disaster, but that is not the case, which led Maurette to spearhead the GoFundMe fundraiser.

“There are some things that insurance covers, and a whole lot that they don’t. They’ll cover the big buildings, they don’t cover chicken coops and shelters. There is the loss of income they don’t cover, or the camel or pony they lost,” said Maurette.

She said exotic animal insurance is exorbitant for a farm with a revenue stream that is confined to fair-weather months.

“A camel is like a $30,000 hit. It’s not a cheap animal just to go out and purchase.”

Denis drives truck during the winter to supplement the exotic animal farm small business.

But beyond the financial implications is the grief felt by the young people who make White Barn Fun Farms a regular stop. Letters and cards from camp kids are flooding in to the Jackson family as the children they try and help in their own way.

“They have been getting beautiful cards made by kids with 25 cents taped inside to contribute,” said Maurette.

“This is just a little business. it’s not a big organization that can suffer a hit like this very easily.”

Volunteers rally

All the windows on the west side of the house were destroyed, and fences throughout the property have been knocked over. Animal pens were wrecked, leaving yaks to mingle with alpacas, creating a Noah’s Ark vibe.

Volunteers from near and far have descended on the farm since the storm to help the Jacksons pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives.

Chainsaws are put to work clearing damaged trees, while other duties include hauling branches, fixing fences and clearing dangerous debris, as well as bringing food for the volunteers.

“They had people come from Calgary to help for the whole day and another guy from Medicine Hat. It was kind of cool to make that journey and do a hard day’s work, showing they care,” said Maurette.

“There was a lot of fixing and a lot of clean up. Between the Saturday and Sunday, they got so much done. It was unbelievable.”

For more information about the fundraising campaign, visit GoFundMe.

As of Tuesday, $10,270 had been raised.

The post Volunteers help exotic animal farm rebuild appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

The storm ripped its way through vast swaths of land from Cayley, Milo and Brooks to the Saskatchewan border, as well as Camrose to the Viking, Edberg, Sedgewick, and Hughenden areas.

“It is too early to know the full scope of the damage because clients are continuing to scout their damage and file claims,” Yves Dooper, claims adjusting co-ordinator with Agriculture Financial Services Corp., wrote in an email.

“Claims will likely continue to come in over the next few days. Clients have 14 days after a storm to report hail damage to (AFSC.)”

Early evening on Aug. 20, Environment Canada tracked a fast-moving super cell that resulted in ball-sized hail and wind gusts topping out at 149 km-h in some regions, causing significant damage to crops and reported deaths of some livestock. The hail storm also resulted in numerous power outages and Highway 1 being closed for a stretch from Brooks to Bassano according to Lethbridge News Now. Damage included multiple vehicle collisions and downed power lines.

Producers with AFSC hail insurance can take the following steps following after a storm:

• Check their fields for damage. If they have damage, they will need to file their claim within 14 days of the storm, and this can be done through AFSC Connect.
• A minimum of 10 per cent damage is required to initiate a claim, and there must be at least 10 per cent hail damage on each spot-loss area for those areas to quality for payment.
• Producers planning to harvest or silage hail damaged fields prior to the adjuster inspection are encouraged to contact their AFSC branch office for directions on leaving inspection strips for the adjuster.

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The CCHA said storms damaged crops with hail as large as baseballs across Western Canada in late July and member companies are investigating more than 1,500 claims.

In a release, CCHA president Scott McQueen of Palliser Insurance said storms produced pea- to baseball-sized hail across the region.

“Southern Alberta experienced severe hail events with strong winds and baseball-sized hail,” he said. “Heavy damage to all crop types was reported in isolated areas. Saskatchewan also saw severe damage but not nearly the impact Alberta had. Manitoba experienced smaller isolated storms with the damage ranging from light to heavy.”

Yves Dooper of Agriculture Financial Services Corporation said some growers are attempting to salvage their crop, begin harvest or in a few cases replant the damaged area to another crop. With the current claim load, adjusters may not inspect all claims before something is done with the fields.

“Producers are encouraged to contact their insurance provider to ensure they leave the appropriate amount of crop for the adjuster to assess,” he said.

The post Growers urged to leave hail-damaged samples appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

In 2021 the Olds College research team worked on a proof of concept with AFSC to see if drone imagery in hail-damaged fields could assist assessment, with promising initial results.

Now the two entities are collaborating on three projects in 2022: hail damage classification using drones; analyzing soil moisture probe measurements for moisture deficiency; and exploring soil moisture, weather and forage biomass relationships.

Olds College and AFSC are also collaborating on ways to provide producers with training and educational programming on new production methods and technologies.

Their agreement is for five years and will be governed by a partnership committee of representatives from both.

“AFSC has a distinguished history in supporting and building Alberta’s agriculture sector, and Olds College is delighted to formally partner with AFSC as we work together on industry-driven applied research,” Olds College vice-president Patrick Machaeck said in a release.

“Our growing partnership with Olds College continues to benefit producers, our clients and the agri-food industry in Alberta,” said AFSC CEO Darryl Kay.

“The joint applied research initiatives we’ll be undertaking over the next five years will advance knowledge and work to improve data collection and analysis, sensor testing and validation, automation technologies, field trials and risk management. We look forward to the road ahead and discovering ways we can use digital technologies, automation and ag tech equipment to benefit the agriculture industry in Alberta.”

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“It was very dry in the south, with less activity in relation to hail. The central-south areas were more active this year,” said Daniel Graham, manager of business risk products with the Agricultural Financial Services Corporation (AFSC).

“It’s well below the hail events that we were having the last couple of years.”

The provincial crop insurer paid out $25 million in hail claims this year — well under half of the $60 million hail payout in 2016.

It was the same story across the Prairies, with $96 million being paid out on 8,600 claims — making it “one of the lightest hail claim years since 2009,” according to the Canadian Crop Hail Association.

“The storm season was spread across mostly July and August,” the association said in a news release. “All months of June through October reported hail, however, all months showed a decrease in storm frequency from the five-year average.”

But hail wasn’t the big story this year in Alberta — it was the amount of farmland that couldn’t be seeded, mostly because of unharvested acres from 2016 that had to first be dealt with during what was a wet spring in large parts of the province.

“We had approximately 4,000 producers report just under 600,000 unseeded acres for the 2017 crop year,” said Graham. “That’s compared to a reported average of 76,000 unseeded acres from the previous five years.”

The unseeded acres claims have all been processed, despite worries that the province’s 350 crop inspectors wouldn’t be able to assess everything in time. However, deadlines were extended past Nov. 30, 2016, which gave producers extended coverage for any loss that would have occurred for unharvested crops kept over winter. Essentially coverage was provided until crops were harvested, plowed under, or written off in the spring.

“In the meantime, we did provide unharvested acreage benefits to those producers who were significantly impacted and we started issuing payments in January of 2017,” said Graham.

The coverage producers had taken for 2016 and the quality of the unharvested crops all impacted what the benefits would have looked like.

“With the magnitude of the unharvested acres that we had in 2016, we streamlined our processes in order to expedite those claims as quickly as possible,” he said.

There were some individuals who voiced concerns, but for the most part, producers were understanding that this was an unprecedented situation and a major challenge for AFSC, he said.

Mother Nature was less understanding, with many of the hail claims in the areas that had large numbers of unseeded acres this spring. The worst-affected areas included Brazeau County, Lac Ste. Anne, an area east of Vermilion, and the Peace region.

The heavy claims mean rates for next year won’t be identical to this year’s, but premiums have not yet been determined, Graham said. They are determined by factors such as elective coverage, premium loss ratios, and the claim history of individual operations.

Meanwhile, AFSC has yet to close the books on the fallout from a scandal over staff expenses that saw the board of directors dismissed in the summer of 2016 and three top executives depart. A new board has since been appointed, but the corporation still does not have a new chief executive officer.

The post Crop Insurance: Hail claims dipped sharply but unharvested acres soared appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

So be sure to do a feed test first, said a beef extension specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

“A feed test is much cheaper than losing an animal,” said Andrea Hanson.

Sometimes producers will wait to see if crops recover after hail, but nitrate levels in damaged crops can continue rising. (That doesn’t happen when a crop is swathed).

Many municipal districts and counties have feed probes that can be used for tests and producers who have baled the crop should test from several bales to get a representative sample, said Hanson.

“It only needs to be a large Ziploc bag of feed that gets taken in,” she said.

Nitrates accumulate in plants stressed by drought, hail, or frost. There is a much smaller risk of nitrate poisoning from perennial hay. Alfalfa, for example, stores nitrogen in the nodules, and only pushes it up into the plant when it’s needed. In an annual crop, nitrates can build up over time, depending on growing conditions.

“The big thing that producers need to understand is that a simple feed test can help them manage anything that they may have to deal with, with that feed,” said Hanson.

Feed that contains nitrates can be fed, but nitrate levels need to be managed — the higher the level, the more the feed needs to be diluted.

When ingested, nitrates are converted to nitrites and if levels are too high, the rumen can’t deal with them and they get into the blood system. The result is similar to carbon monoxide poisoning — an increased heart rate, muscle tremors, vomiting, and laboured breathing can all occur. An animal may start to stagger, and the area around its lips and other membranes will be blue from lack of oxygen. The blood of animals who die from nitrate poisoning will often appear chocolate brown.

If an animal dies from nitrate poisoning, other animals should be pulled off the feed immediately.

“If you have just cut the crop, don’t just turn out the cows and walk away. Be vigilant and be watching, and check to see what the animals are looking like,” said Hanson.

A guide on how to properly sample feed is available at foragebeef.ca. It’s also important to find out what kind of nitrate test was used, as limits are different depending on how the nitrate was tested. A conversion chart for feeding nitrate can be found at agriculture.alberta.ca.

The post If you’re going to feed hail-damaged crop to livestock, test it first appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“With volatile weather comes storm damage and, for some producers, this means salvaging crops for feed,” says Andrea Hanson, beef extension specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Airdrie.

Hanson cautions producers to use care as salvaged crops may have high levels of nitrates that are toxic to ruminants and emphasizes the importance of testing salvaged feed to establish quality and nitrate levels prior to feeding.

“Sometimes producers want to wait to see if the crop will recover before salvaging it for feed. That’s when the balancing act starts. The nitrate levels in those damaged crops that were heavily fertilized or manured to optimize yield will have the highest accumulations.”

Hanson says it takes about four to five days after the damage for the nitrates to build to the highest levels. If the plants start to recover, the nitrate levels will return to a lower level about two weeks after the damage, depending on their growth rate. The true balancing act starts when the leaves start to brown off and the plants begin to deteriorate, losing leaf material and yield.

Unless a perennial hay crop is fertilized at high rates, the risk of accumulating nitrate is much lower than in annual crops, Hanson says. “Alfalfa is a plant that only takes up as much nitrogen as it requires on a daily basis. The excess is stored in the nodules. Nitrate accumulation in alfalfa is extremely rare.”

Nitrates accumulate in plants when the plant is stressed. Drought, hail and frost are all stressors that can cause nitrate toxicity. Photosynthesis is disrupted because of the damage to the plant but the roots of the plant are undamaged. As long as the roots are still alive, they continue to push nitrogen to the leaves. With damaged leaves, photosynthesis is disrupted, and the nitrogen (in the form of nitrates) accumulates.

“If a producer does decide to salvage the crop, it’s essential that the nitrate levels are known before any of the feed is used,” says Hanson. “Getting a feed test done is cheap compared to losing an animal to something that can be managed. Once the plant has been cut, the nitrate level is fixed and a feed test can be taken. Be sure to check out Foragebeef.ca for useful information on how to properly sample feed for testing.

Hanson also stresses the importance of finding out from the feed testing laboratory what type of nitrate test was carried out as the limits are different depending on how the nitrate level is reported. “AF’s factsheet Nitrate Poisoning and Feeding Nitrate Feeds to Livestock is a good reference that has the conversion chart for different reporting systems. Often the laboratory will provide the recommendations based on the level outcome.”

“Feeds containing nitrates can be fed depending on the levels of nitrates and the other feed stuffs available,” adds Hanson. “A strategy for feeding high nitrate feed is needed well before creating a feeding plan to reduce the risk of nitrate poisoning.”

The post Salvaging hail-damaged crops appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

“With volatile weather comes storm damage and, for some producers, this means salvaging crops for feed,” says Andrea Hanson, beef extension specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Airdrie.

Hanson cautions producers to use care as salvaged crops may have high levels of nitrates that are toxic to ruminants and emphasizes the importance of testing salvaged feed to establish quality and nitrate levels prior to feeding.

“Sometimes producers want to wait to see if the crop will recover before salvaging it for feed. That’s when the balancing act starts. The nitrate levels in those damaged crops that were heavily fertilized or manured to optimize yield will have the highest accumulations.”

Hanson says it takes about four to five days after the damage for the nitrates to build to the highest levels. If the plants start to recover, the nitrate levels will return to a lower level about two weeks after the damage, depending on their growth rate. The true balancing act starts when the leaves start to brown off and the plants begin to deteriorate, losing leaf material and yield.

Unless a perennial hay crop is fertilized at high rates, the risk of accumulating nitrate is much lower than in annual crops, Hanson says. “Alfalfa is a plant that only takes up as much nitrogen as it requires on a daily basis. The excess is stored in the nodules. Nitrate accumulation in alfalfa is extremely rare.”

Nitrates accumulate in plants when the plant is stressed. Drought, hail and frost are all stressors that can cause nitrate toxicity. Photosynthesis is disrupted because of the damage to the plant but the roots of the plant are undamaged. As long as the roots are still alive, they continue to push nitrogen to the leaves. With damaged leaves, photosynthesis is disrupted, and the nitrogen (in the form of nitrates) accumulates.

“If a producer does decide to salvage the crop, it’s essential that the nitrate levels are known before any of the feed is used,” says Hanson. “Getting a feed test done is cheap compared to losing an animal to something that can be managed. Once the plant has been cut, the nitrate level is fixed and a feed test can be taken. Be sure to check out Foragebeef.ca for useful information on how to properly sample feed for testing.

Hanson also stresses the importance of finding out from the feed testing laboratory what type of nitrate test was carried out as the limits are different depending on how the nitrate level is reported. “AF’s factsheet Nitrate Poisoning and Feeding Nitrate Feeds to Livestock is a good reference that has the conversion chart for different reporting systems. Often the laboratory will provide the recommendations based on the level outcome.”

“Feeds containing nitrates can be fed depending on the levels of nitrates and the other feed stuffs available,” adds Hanson. “A strategy for feeding high nitrate feed is needed well before creating a feeding plan to reduce the risk of nitrate poisoning.”

The post Salvaging hail-damaged crops appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

Summer hail and frost at the end of June and the beginning of July took a toll on crops, leading to insurance claims above the five-year average.

Manitoba Agricultural Service Corp. (MASC) hail damage insurance claims for 2015 came in at 3,380, compared with the five-year average of 2,000.

“It is slightly more than the highest we’ve had,” said David Van Deynze, manager of claims at MASC.

Farmers also made an especially high amount of reseed-related claims.

Frost claims are lumped in with other losses, but registered reseed claims to MASC come in at 3,290, compared with the 1,000-claim five-year average.

Van Deynze said it’s been one of the busiest reseed years they’ve ever had as well, and the vast majority of this year’s claims are frost-related.

“I know even the most prosperous farmers face challenges dealing with everything from crop disease to risk management; this year was a prime example,” said provincial Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn.

Despite a large amount of reseeding, most producers are pleased with how their crops turned out, he said.

“They are going to be yielding average to above-average, just because timely moisture accelerated the germination of it,” he said.

He named canola as one of the crops that saw a significant amount of seeding. Final production numbers will be coming post-harvest, but Statistics Canada estimates this year’s canola production at 2,540,100 tonnes compared with 2,510,600 last year.

Manitoba’s harvest is about 80 to 90 per cent finished, according to the province’s most recent crop report.

— Jade Markus writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Winnipeg company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting. Follow her at @jade_markus on Twitter.

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