Richard Gray, professor in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan and Canadian Grain Policy Research Chair at the University of Saskatchewan, together with Michelle Ross, research assistant at the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and Bioresources, have been commissioned by the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) to conduct a benefit-cost analysis evaluating the Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster (ICAC).

“With the overall study, we’re hoping to better understand the value and impact of research in the cluster,” said Ross.

The ICAC is an agricultural research cluster created to address the gap in multi-crop and systems-based agronomy research. From 2018-2023, nine million dollars were invested in ICAC research, with funding from WGRF, industry partners and Agriculture and Agri-food (AAFC) Canada’s AgriScience Cluster funding under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP).

With ICAC, most of what has been generated in the cluster is general agronomic knowledge that has built up over time to help producers,

“We’re focussing on three separate tools in the cluster, and those are the Fusarium Headblight Maps, the Prairie Crop Disease Network and the Test Monitoring Network,” she said.

All three are free for producers.

Building awareness

“The kind of questions that we’re asking is overall awareness of these public resources for both producers and agrologists and where producers and agrologists access this information,” she said.

The survey will improve understanding about how these resources are used, and if they affect farm decisions, she said.

“What initiated the research is that AAFC is making this a requirement under the next round of funding agri-science clusters with the SCAP (Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership) model for funding,” she said.

“We need to understand the impact of the funding, and while there are a lot of studies on how there are high returns overall to agriculture research, more research is needed to quantify those benefits, including research of the agri-science cluster,” she said.

Tough decisions

Ross said tough decisions need to be made when public and producer dollars are spent.

“Having evidence-based decision making is needed to best serve everyone; the industry and the public,” she said.

The survey is looking to gauge farmers and agrologists’ awareness of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network, The Fusarium Headblight Maps, and the Test Monitoring Network.

Ross and Gray also want to find out whether producers and agrologists are using these tools to make decisions on farms.

Ross said participating in this survey is good for farmers, because while ICAC is publicly funded, but also funded through industry groups, and groups like the WGRF.

“Producer money has been used to do this research and create these resources,” she said.

“This goes back to due diligence, because there’s a very long wish list on what money could be spent on, so we need to understand the impact of this research,” she said.

The survey is quite short and will take a producer about 15 minutes to fill out. The survey can be completed on the phone, or on the web.

Ross said she hopes many producers and agrologists fill out the survey, so the research team can get a clear picture across the prairies.

The survey is open until December 31, 2025 and can be found here- https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/AgronomyResourcesSurvey

akienlen@fbcpublishing.com

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On March 13, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said results from their 2022 potato wart survey had not found any cases of the soil-borne fungus. The agency had tested nearly 1,500 soil samples from fields in British Columbia, the three Prairie provinces, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Prince Edward Island, whose potato sector has been newly haunted by the fungus following cases in 2021 and 2022, was not directly included in the survey. However, the CFIA targeted farms that had a history of sourcing seed potatoes from the Maritime province.

The agency described the survey as “an important step in the government of Canada’s efforts to help contain and control the spread of potato wart and reassure domestic and international trading partners.”

In October 2021, two processing potato fields in Prince Edward Island were confirmed infected with potato wart. The news had immediate trade impacts to the sector.

Citing U.S. concerns, the federal government locked down fresh potato exports from the province. Trade of eating potatoes resumed to the U.S. in April 2022, although export of seed potatoes to the U.S. still remains off limits.

Following the findings, the federal government promised $28 million to help impacted producers divert their sudden potato surplus. Prince Edward Island pitched in a further $12.5 million.

Those first cases were followed by confirmations in February 2022, July 2022 and, frustratingly for the potato sector, December of last year.

Domestic and export requirements and restrictions are still in place around movement of potatoes out of the province, as well as mitigation orders around things like soil movement and farm equipment.

Producers have said that millions of pounds of potatoes had to be destroyed following the loss of markets.

The CFIA has said that the cluster of potato wart cases represents “the largest ongoing investigations since the pest was first detected in P.E.I in 2000.

“The size and scope of these ongoing investigations required the strongest regulatory action to date to help protect against the further spread of potato wart outside of P.E.I.”

While not part of the national survey, there have been investigations specific to P.E.I. Almost 44,700 samples had been taken by the end of 2022 as part of that program, about 35,500 of which have been processed.

The CFIA has said that the national survey will dovetail with ongoing potato wart investigations.

Survey results have been forwarded to the CFIA’s American counterpart, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

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The Next Policy Framework will replace the $3-billion Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which expires next March.

The federal, provincial, and territorial ag ministers set out their priorities in November in a document called the Guelph Statement. It lists objectives such as tackling climate change, investing in research and innovation, fostering value-added businesses, and developing “a robust suite of business risk management programs.”

A link to the Guelph Statement and a survey for Alberta producers can be found online. But the survey closes on June 5.

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The seeds were planted long ago and now producers will get their say on whether they want Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley to merge.

“The consultation will begin in July with an online survey, followed by online town hall events after harvest in October, with further dialogue and sessions during regional meeting events in November,” the two groups said in a joint news release.

The two organizations merged their management teams in 2018, and delegates of both groups passed resolutions at their 2019 AGMs calling for a study of the pros and cons of full amalgamation.

“Through collaboration, the commissions have leveraged synergies, removed duplication and in-turn expanded key priority areas such as research and agronomic extension,” said Alberta Barley chair Tara Sawyer. “The future of the organizations is at a crossroads so farmer participation is key during this pivotal time.”

The two groups stressed the consultations don’t amount to a plebiscite “but an initial step for the commissions to gauge farmers’ opinions on governance amalgamation.”

The review — conducted by current and past directors, regional reps and delegates — also came up with a proposal for a board structure for a single cereal organization. It recommended a 12-person board with wheat and barley farmers from six regions in Alberta (two directors per region). The boundaries of each region (which would also elect four delegates) haven’t been determined.

“Currently the commissions operate with separate governance structures, yet share a management team that reports to both boards,” said Alberta Wheat chair Todd Hames. “It’s up to Alberta wheat and barley farmers to determine whether this is sustainable or if merging is the path forward. We encourage wheat and barley growers to learn more and get involved in the consultation process.”

More info will be posted online and producers can sign up at the website so they will be notified when the online survey is launched, which is expected to occur in early July.

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Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp. (MASC) last week announced it has cancelled all in-person public meetings on its forage insurance review, citing the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. But the agency has extended the deadline to take part in its online survey and/or comment by email.

Producers who can’t get at the online survey are asked to contact the department at 204-239-3275 or by email to have a copy of the survey mailed or emailed to them.

MASC, in an email to producers, said it also plans to hold focus group meetings via videoconferencing “to further delve into survey responses and to discuss possible solutions to issues identified.”

Those focus groups, MASC said, will be made up of producers who completed the survey and “offered their availability.” The meetings “will be kept to small numbers to allow effective engagement.”

The forage insurance review, launched last month, is led by Mike Lesiuk, a former provincial director of sector policy for the ag department, who’s expected to provide recommendations to provincial Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen and MASC “later this spring.”

Completed surveys are expected to help inform the province on “how the current forage insurance platform is being used, its limitations and what changes need to be considered.” Producer groups and “other stakeholders” will also be approached.

Over 1,200 producers in Manitoba now have MASC forage insurance. That covers over 272,000 acres, which the province said amounts to about 18 per cent of what’s eligible. By comparison, about 90 per cent of annual crop acreage has MASC insurance.

“The back-to-back production challenges faced by forage producers in 2018 and 2019 have impacted provincial and local feed supplies,” the province said, a problem which in turn is “is affecting producers’ ability to maintain herd size and negatively impacting farm finances.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The survey is a joint project with Alberta Pulse Growers, SaskPulse and Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.

The survey is a life cycle assessment of pea and lentil production and similar to those by other industry players, said Denis Tremorin, director of sustainability for Pulse Canada.

The survey focuses on land location, acres, fertilizer, pesticides and fuel use. He cautioned farmers might find the process somewhat challenging.

“All we’re asking is that farmers do their best. If they can’t answer a question, that’s fine. We’re just trying to gather as much information as we can,” he said.

Companies, governments, academics and consultants no longer rely solely on reports and want to use public inventory data sets, he said. In turn, Pulse Canada wants to provide good data on Canadian pea and lentils to such a set.

Tremorin said a company recently contacted Pulse Canada wanting data regarding pea protein production. “If the data was in those inventories, they would not have had to call,” he said.

Another aspect to the survey is to assist Pulse Canada to diversify Canada’s market.

“One of the things they are interested in is the sustainability,” Tremorin said.

The deadline to fill out the survey is Feb. 7, but Tremorin said there’s a slight possibility that deadline might be pushed back. As a small incentive, growers who fill out the survey are entered into a prize draw.

— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm in Winnipeg; includes files from Robin Booker of the Western Producer.

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A survey conducted Sept. 9 and released Tuesday by Angus Reid Global with the support of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab shows 31 per cent of Canadians believe food and agriculture will be a prime electoral issue during the election.

The survey showed there are, however, some significant individual issues that concern Canadians related to food and agriculture.

Three of five Canadians say food security and affordability is an important issue in this election. That number is higher in Manitoba and the Atlantic region where food security is a concern for 68 per cent.

The use of plastics is also a growing concern at 54 per cent believing plastics use in food is a concern in this election.

All regions are above 50 per cent in interest in this issue other than Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Food waste is the third most important agriculture and food issue for Canadians, especially in Quebec.

Supply management proved a complicated topic to survey. Saskatchewan – which has a limited number of farmers in supply-managed commodities – had 35 per cent say supply management is an important issue. Quebec and Ontario came in at 27 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.

Global trade is much more of a concern in the West, with 51 per cent of Saskatchewan residents saying global trade is important. At the other end of the spectrum, 19 per cent of Quebec residents say global trade is an issue.

When asked what the largest food and agriculture issues should be after the election, Canadian said food security, overwhelmingly — likely representing a lack of understanding on the issues in order to volunteer them.

The survey asked about the use of pesticides and urban agriculture, but the results were insignificant.

The sample size for this survey was 1,524 people from across the country, with a margin of error of less than three per cent, 19 times out of 20.

— John Greig is editor of Farmtario.

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However, two observers agree the final numbers won’t have much effect on markets.

“It’s not a report that’s going to allow canola to trade tremendously strong. It might trade a shade firmer, but the number is not going to alter things too much,” said Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg.

The StatsCan report placed final canola production at 20.343 million tonnes, down 656,000 from the agency’s September data and nearly one million tonnes lower than the final 2017-18 figures. Figures for September were model-based; the final numbers for this year and last are survey-based.

“On the canola side, (the report) is mildly supportive. I’d say the big change in the Canadian dollar over the last couple of days, where it got beaten down a little bit, that probably has more of an impact than this,” said Neil Townsend, analyst with FarmLink Marketing Solutions in Winnipeg.

Ball believes canola stocks will become tighter than they have in recent years. However, he wasn’t surprised with the data for wheat.

StatsCan’s final number for all wheat was 31.769 million tonnes, up by about 750,000 tonnes from September and by nearly two million tonnes compared to last year.

“Wheat yields were spectacular in many parts of the Prairies this year,” Ball commented.

FarmLink believed the figures for wheat would have been higher, Townsend said.

“Lucky for us there’s lots of big demand for Canadian wheat this year, so having that extra wheat and especially if it’s of relatively good quality or average quality, it’s very saleable,” he said.

Looking at pulses, Townsend said what’s now happening in India will have a greater impact on the markets than the StatsCan report.

“There’s a kharif crop that’s down and then a rabi crop that’s being very slowly planted. Maybe some acres won’t get in because of a lack of rain.”

Canada grew 3.581 million tonnes of peas and 2.092 million tonnes of lentils in 2018, according to StatsCan. That compares with 4.112 million tonnes of peas and 2.559 million tonnes of lentils in 2017.

— Glen Hallick writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Glacier FarmMedia company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

Table: A quick summary of the Statistics Canada December production estimates for 2018-19, in millions of metric tonnes. September model-based estimates, August survey-based estimates and year-ago numbers are included for comparison. Source: Statistics Canada.

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Looking at data over the past decade, total seeded canola acres were revised higher in the June survey compared to the March intentions report every year, according to the report, titled Effects of the Crop Reporting Cycle on Field Crop Statistics.

From 2008 to 2014, canola acreage estimates increased by 4.4 per cent on average, while the increase was about 3.5 per cent from 2015 to 2018.

For wheat, the trend was the exact opposite, with the final acreage number steady to down 4.7 per cent from the March intentions report over the past decade.

The accuracy of the March seeding intentions report was described as “strong,” with adjustments generally due to weather and coming in below five per cent, according to the report.

Statistics Canada releases three production reports each crop year: preliminary estimates at the end of August, a satellite imagery-based estimate in September, and final survey numbers in December.

In all but one of the past 10 years, the final canola production number was up in December compared to August. The increases ranged from 7.4 per cent to 29.1 per cent, and averaged 13.7 per cent.

Wheat production was also typically higher in November compared to August, with the final estimate 9.5 per cent larger on average than the original forecast over the past decade.

“Differences between production estimates and final production data can largely be attributed to weather events including excess or inadequate precipitation and temperature,” said the report.

In addition, StatsCan noted, “general optimism regarding yield is often muted” in the preliminary production estimates as “projecting one’s yield based on a visual inspection of standing crops is difficult.”

— Phil Franz-Warkentin writes for Commodity News Service Canada, a Glacier FarmMedia company specializing in grain and commodity market reporting.

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