“What are we afraid of?” asked Chan, speaking at the annual Dairy Farmers of Manitoba conference in Winnipeg. “Why don’t people speak up when someone in your family or a friend says something wrong about agriculture?”

No one wants a family gathering to dissolve into a shouting match over animal welfare or biotechnology, Chan said, but she stressed that, at the end of the day, speaking louder isn’t going to change anyone’s mind.

“You want to meet these consumers where they stand, we don’t want to get up on our soapbox,” she said.

Too often, producers fall into the mindset that if they can just hammer home enough facts or if they can just convince a consumer to think like they do, all their problems will disappear, Chan said.

Not so, according to the senior manager of veterinary services at Zoetis.

“Take a step back and ask them what their concerns are,” she said. “When they raise these issues and instead of going straight into educating them about what it is that actually happens… pause for a moment.”

Asking follow-up questions about why they are concerned and where they got their information from is also important, said Chan, adding if producers listen and understand consumer concerns they’ll be able to move forward constructively.

“Get them to expand,” she said. “Just say, ‘Hmm, that’s interesting, I certainly don’t want antibiotics in my food either; what is it that worries you?’ ”

Once common ground is established, farmers can begin introducing the information they want consumers to hear.

“That next piece is we talk about a safe and wholesome product,” she said, adding the vast array of choice in grocery story does beg certain questions — questions to which consumers don’t often have reliable answers.

For example, with some products labeled as “antibiotic free,” consumers are left wondering if other products have antibiotics in them, or are unclear on how products are produced, Chan said.

“The inference is that maybe there are products that have antibiotics in it, so should I be worried?”

But slamming organic products or denigrating certain production methods isn’t helpful either. Instead, Chan said producers should talk about how they do things on their own operations, the care and attention they give to animals and explain what labels represent in terms of on-farm practices.

“We are all in this together,” she said.

Sharing the kind of research being done on animal welfare is also an important way to demonstrate the level of care provided. She referenced current dairy research that looks at neuroplasticity in calves as an example of the lengths researchers go to increase cow comfort.

“So these are things that we’re engaging in on the dairy side that really make me proud to be doing what we are doing,” Chan said. “I don’t think people understand how important it is to us that we are producing a safe and nutritious food product and that means that we have to be caring for our cows and providing them with a good quality of life.”

Producers also can’t expect that consumers will learn about food production and animal care if they stay silent.

“We should be shouting that from the rooftops and if we’re not comfortable doing that, we definitely need to be supporting those who are,” Chan said. “Because we need to be engaged and we need to make sure we are a part of that story.”

— Shannon VanRaes is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator and Country Guide in Winnipeg. Follow her at @ShannonVanRaes on Twitter.

The post Talk to family, friends about farming appeared first on Farmtario.

“I’m certainly pleased,” said Lawrence MacAulay. “Being a dairy farmer and a seed potato farmer from Prince Edward Island, I have some idea what farming is all about.”

But while MacAulay is new to the agriculture portfolio, he is not new to the House of Commons. He has represented PEI since 1988 and is a former minister of labour, as well as past solicitor general.

“I guess if you need to be senior, I’m senior,” he said.

Repeating an oft heard refrain following cabinet’s swearing in at Rideau Hall, MacAulay said he will need to be briefed by his deputy minister — whom he had only met a few hours earlier — before commenting on particular issues.

His first priority is to meet with his provincial counterparts, as he takes over the portfolio formerly held by Gerry Ritz.

“Over the next few days I’ll combine my briefings with meeting provincial officials and industry across the country — looking forward to it,” he said.

Country-of-origin labelling and grain transportation will no doubt be on the agenda, along with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Questions about the $4.3 billion compensation plan promised to dairy farmers under the newly ousted Conservative government remain.

When asked if the Liberal government will uphold that promise, the new Minister of International Trade said she would need to be briefed on many issues and that her first order of business was to meet with her deputy minister.

“There are some really big issues in the file,” said Chrystia Freeland.

The post Lawrence MacAulay sworn in as Canada’s new agriculture minister appeared first on Farmtario.

“I can understand why producer groups would wish to perceive this in a different way, but this is not the end of supply management,” he said here Thursday.

“I don’t think anyone in Canada will be able to sustain the idea that this is the end of the Canadian dairy industry and supply management.”

The 12 countries involved in the TPP announced Oct. 5 they had reached an agreement on a new Pacific Rim trade deal. Among its other commitments, Canada pledged a slight opening in its tariff wall for imports of TPP countries’ dairy, poultry and eggs.

The TPP member nations are working to make the details of the agreement public as soon as possible, Groser said, partly at the behest of the Canadian government.

“We are very, very conscious of the pressures on the Canadian government, because our Canadian friends are facing an election in a few days time,” he said.

Groser, New Zealand’s lead negotiator in the TPP talks, went on to indicate 99 per cent of the trade pact’s text has been finalized.

International lawyers, however, are working to “stabilize the interpretation of the one per cent,” he added.

Groser said he wasn’t aware of the details of any compensation package Canadian producers might be receiving, describing that as a domestic matter.

Canadian officials on Oct. 5 pledged up to $4.3 billion over 15 years in income protection, quota value guarantees and marketing funds for the country’s supply-managed dairy, poultry and egg producers and processors.

Groser’s comments were made at the annual congress of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), held this year in New Zealand’s primary dairy-producing region.

New Zealand, one of the founding TPP partners, produces three per cent of the world’s milk and exports about 90 per cent of its agricultural output.

Groser has advocated for more open markets and an end to protectionism. “It was export or die for us,” he said.

— Shannon VanRaes is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator, based in Winnipeg. Follow her at @ShannonVanRaes on Twitter.

The post TPP not the death of supply management, N.Z. trade chief says appeared first on Farmtario.

After years of negotiations, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S. and Vietnam reached an agreement Monday morning, which includes granting access to 3.25 per cent of the Canadian dairy market. Different aspects of the trade deal are expected to be phased in over the coming years.

Egg farmers will lose 2.3 per cent of their market, and chicken producers will see a 2.1 per cent reduction. Turkey farmers and those producing eggs for broiler hatching will see a two per cent and 1.5 per cent reduction respectively. Market loss is also expected to reduce the value of existing quota.

“When we get some more details and have an opportunity to do more analysis we’ll be in a better position to know exactly what it means for us,” said Cory Rybuck, general manager of Manitoba Egg Farmers.

“But any time you lose some of the market by opening up access it’s a concern. With eggs at least we’ve experienced steady growth over the last nine years, so hopefully that will continue and possibly mitigate the effects of this or any other trade deal.”

Ed Kleinsasser, chair of Manitoba Egg Farmers’ board of directors, said he was relieved the trade agreement didn’t give more access than it did.

“It is a very complex agreement that is going to affect a lot of different industries,” said the manager of Sunnyside Colony’s poultry operations.

Details still unknown

David Wiens, chairman of the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba, also said that it will take more time to parse out the details and assess the TPP’s full impact. But he was clear that the multilateral deal is a loss for Canadian dairy farmers.

“Obviously we’re not happy with the fact that access was given to dairy in order to conclude the deal, those increased imports will be a loss of us — this milk is not going to be produced in Canada, it won’t be produced in Canada again,” he said. “It’s revenue that will be lost on a perpetual basis.”

To compensate farmers for market loss, the Canadian government has announced a series of programs to mitigate the financial impact of the trade deal. This includes an Income Guarantee Program, which the government said, “will keep producers whole by providing 100 per cent income protection to producers for 10 years.”

Income support assistance will then continue on a tapered basis for an additional five years, for a total of 15 years. The government has said $2.4 billion is available for this program.

Over the course of those year 15 years a typical dairy farm could be eligible to receive about $165,600 in compensation or just over $2,000 per cow. The average chicken farm could receive as much as $84,100 over the same period and an egg farm could be eligible for $71,500 in compensation.

The Income Guarantee Program could provide as much as $191,700 to a typical hatching egg operation over the same period.

Prove losses?

Compensation is automatically triggered and producers won’t have to prove “demonstrable loss” before being compensated, said a senior official with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

“The annual payments will be linked to the amount of quota each producer holds and will be based on the estimated sector-wide impact on their income. Income impacts are compared by comparing prices and production under conditions with the TPP and CETA in place relative to price and production without those payments,” the official explained.

A Quota Value Guarantee Program will also be established to protect producers selling their quota in the 10 years following the TPP’s implementation, with $1.5 billion in funding being set aside.

Two additional programs — a Processor Modernization Program and a Market Development Initiative — will also be established to support supply managed commodities as they adjust to the trade deal.

Wiens said the federal government had assured dairy farmers throughout the process that compensation would be provided should greater access be given, and that the government has kept its word.

“So I am somewhat encouraged that the government recognizes the contributions that we in the dairy sector make to the economy — and especially the rural economy — of Canada by providing this compensation package and other mitigation measures,” he said. “The government did what it had to do so this agreement could be signed.”

Dairy Farmers of Canada president Wally Smith said he recognized that the Canadian government fought hard against the demands of other countries when it came to supply-managed sectors.

“We have come a long way from the threat of eliminating supply management,” he said. “The government has clearly understood the importance of supply management dairy farms in rural Canada and the economic activities they generate.”

Questions about the quality of new imports remain, however, with some raising the point that U.S. dairy producers may make use of bovine growth hormone, a growth promotant not approved by Health Canada.

An official with the department confirmed that the importation of products produced with bovine growth hormone is not restricted.

Wiens noted that food quality was one of the key issues for 87 per cent of respondents in a recent Canada-wide poll.

“And that’s exactly what can be lost by giving this access,” he said.

CORRECTION: This article originally indicated that producers would have to prove “demonstrable loss” in order to receive compensation. We regret the error. 

— Shannon VanRaes is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator in Winnipeg. Follow her at @ShannonVanRaes on Twitter. Includes files from Allan Dawson of the Co-operator.

The post VanRaes: TPP deal seen shrinking supply-managed markets appeared first on Farmtario.

Responding to questions at an unrelated event in Winnipeg last week, Agriculture and Agri-food Minister Gerry Ritz said Canada has put forward strong proposals regarding supply management when it comes to TPP negotiations. On July 21, the U.S. government publicly criticized Canada in an open letter, saying it was, “unwilling to seriously engage in market access discussions regarding dairy.”

“We consider the proposals we’ve put forward balanced in scope and we want to make sure those that export have the ability to export,” Ritz said. “And under the supply-managed system we recognized the value that it brings to the Canadian economy, we make all these arguments at the negotiating table, we don’t do it in public, nor does any other country for that matter.”

The exception to that rule may be the United States, which has put continuing pressure on Canada regarding supply management, particularly around the country’s dairy industry.

“Certainly we don’t tip our hand in public, they may think that’s a good way to negotiate; I don’t,” said Ritz.

The minister did say that Canada is paying close attention to products the U.S. regards as sensitive, such as sugar. He is also noted that U.S. subsidies have not a free pass during talks.

“We point out the realities of what other governments do under the guise of helping,” said Ritz, referring to the U.S. Farm Bill.

But some of the U.S. farm programs have been grandfathered in by the World Trade Association, making them difficult to address directly.

Despite the hurtles ahead, Ritz was optimistic that Canada would be party to the agreement.

“There are a number of countries that want us at the table, including Japan,” he said. “I was a little concerned when I saw their trade minister say there’s two country that may not make it into the end game, I don’t think Canada is one of them… the Mexicans like us at the table, the Japanese like us at the table, as do a lot of the other countries.”

The post Canada will not negotiate TPP in public: Ritz appeared first on Farmtario.

“We don’t need ad hoc (assistance), we’ve got a very comprehensive system of business risk management,” said Gerry Ritz, speaking in Winnipeg last week. “There’s four different pillars in that, and of course crop insurance is first and foremost the first line of defence.”

AgriStability will also be able to assist producers, said Ritz, noting that the five-year incoming averaging period the program relies on is designed to stabilize farm returns in years where production or profit fall due to poor weather or other factors beyond producers’ control.

“The closest thing that I would consider along with the ministers that are affected — we’ve had this discussion in Charlottetown as late as late week — would be AgriRecovery,” he said.

Tax deferral

Ritz noted that crop insurance has also been expanded to include pastureland and forages, both of which have been affected by a lack of rainfall in many areas of Western Canada.

Southern Manitoba has largely been spared from dry conditions, with many areas receiving relatively normal precipitation. However, farther north and in areas like Dauphin, Gilbert Plains, Alonsa, Mossey River, Roblin and Ochre River the situation has been severe.

Ranchers in those regions will eligible to apply the Livestock Tax Deferral Provision, announced by Minister Ritz on July 23.

The designation allows livestock producers facing feed shortages in prescribed drought regions to defer a portion of their 2015 sale proceeds of breeding livestock for one year in order to help them replenish stock the following year. Proceeds from deferred sales will be included as part of the producer’s income in the next tax year.

To defer income, the breeding herd must have been reduced by at least 15 per cent. If this is the case, 30 per cent of income from net sales can then be deferred. In cases where the herd declines by 30 per cent or more, 90 per cent of income from net sales can be deferred, according to Agriculture and Agri-food Canada.

“This tax deferral will provide producers with the flexibility they need to make decisions in the best interest of their individual operations,” said Ritz. “We want to assure producers that are caught in this, that what they need will be delivered in a timely manner.”

The post Look to crop insurance first: Ritz appeared first on Farmtario.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was in Winnipeg Monday to announce the findings of the group’s final report, which he said “provides recommendations for improving the crop logistics system, including comprehensive input into the review underway.”

Greater transparency in the rail market was another recommendation made by the working group, which was composed of 18 stakeholder groups representing growers, handlers and millers.

“I think the biggest thing,” said Ritz. “Would be the data that railways aren’t sharing with shippers. They measure on what they supply, when it comes to cars, not what the market is actually asking them to deliver. There is a double standard there — they say their commitment is to supplying the cars they’re going to supply, not what’s actually asked of them.”

The report was the third and last mandate for the working group, which previously provided recommendations to the Rail Freight Service Review.

“Our mandate was to establish a consensus position within the grain supply chain,” said Murdoch MacKay, commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission and chairman of the CLWG. “I think the most important thing here is that all 18 organization came together and have all agreed to the recommendations in the report… it’s a consensus.”

Ritz said that a greater reciprocity is also needed to ensure a level playing field between shippers and producers, which the report also advocates for.

There needs to be a “reciprocity of penalties,” he said, noting that railways are able to charge producers $110 per car not filled on time.
“But there is no reciprocal penalty if they’re late delivering it or late picking it up,” the minister said.

Ideally, that reciprocity would be enshrined in a service-level agreement between producers and companies.

“But we want to make sure that everybody have the ability to sign those, and if it takes regulation to make sure that CN or CP come to the table to negotiate with companies X, that’s something we’re prepared to do,” Ritz said.

The final report of the arms’ length Transportation Act review, led by former cabinet minister David Emerson, is expected this winter.

“Now it’s up to David Emerson and his group to see the value of what we’re recommending,” said MacKay.

The post Transportation review recommendations appeared first on Farmtario.

The provincial government on Tuesday pledged such a plan in the speech from the throne by Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee.

“Building on the recent introduction of forage insurance, in the year ahead our government will introduce livestock price insurance to provide better protection for Manitoba’s important beef and hog sectors,” Lee said.

Such an insurance plan could be announced within weeks, according to Cam Dahl, general manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers.

Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn was unavailable for comment, but reportedly told a recent producer meeting in Durban that an announcement is forthcoming. A spokeswoman said, “I don’t have any details I can share publicly — but expect that will change in the very near future.”

Manitoba’s beef producers have been asking for government-administered price insurance since the BSE crisis hit a decade ago. Only Alberta currently has an insurance program to protect producers against steep drops in prices.

The new program is expected to be based on the Alberta model and to encompass the four western provinces, Dahl said.

“The government wouldn’t be contributing to the premiums, but would be covering the cost of administration,” he said, adding those costs are expected to be shared by the federal and provincial governments.

“Combined with the new forage insurance program, producers will be able to ensure the price of their major inputs, as well as to cover off a significant portion of the price risk,” Dahl added.

Although beef prices are fairly strong at the moment, he noted Alberta beef producers used their insurance plan to mitigate some of the price fall following the E. coli outbreak at XL Foods in 2012.

But pork producers, who will also be able to enrol in the insurance plan, won’t see much of a benefit, said Andrew Dickson, general manager of the Manitoba Pork Council.

“We don’t think it’s very valuable because our processors here offer forward pricing at the high end,” said Dickson.

“In other words, you can lock in a finish price with Maple Leaf, and with Hylife and with the Co-op, so we don’t understand why anybody would want to go to a floor-price system.”

Alberta hog producers aren’t keen either, even though they don’t have the same forward pricing options (save at the Maple Leaf plant in Lethbridge).

“It’s not been very successful, about 30 guys have enrolled in the program and about two have actually used it — it’s not cheap, and producers don’t find it very useful,” said Dickson.

“But we’re not arguing against it — the cattle guys really want the program and so it’s up to them.”

Dahl said it’s hard to estimate exactly how many beef producers will participate, but said interest has been strong so far.

“This will be a real benefit to the beef industry and make us much more competitive,” he said.

— Shannon VanRaes is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator in Winnipeg. Includes files from AGCanada.com Network staff.

Related stories:
New forage insurance to take effect in 2014, Nov. 6, 2013
West considers shared livestock price insurance plan, Nov. 27, 2011
Manitoba cattle price insurance in the works, April 24, 2011

The post Livestock price insurance in works for Manitoba appeared first on Farmtario.

“The investigation has concluded and the file has been referred to the Crown prosecutor to determine if charges should be laid,” said a spokeswoman with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives.

Last August, officials responded to reports of animals in distress at the barn near Austin, about 50 km west of Portage la Prairie. The barn was in the midst of being depopulated by its operators, brothers Bernie and Menno Bergen.

The pair had been ordered to vacate the property, owned by HP Farm Equipment Ltd. At the time, a representative for the company said the Bergens were six years behind in their rent.

Provincial officials had offered the operators assistance in depopulating the barn, but the offer was declined.

When officials from the Chief Veterinary Office entered the barn they encountered a disturbing situation, requiring the euthanization of the 1,300 young hogs.

The incident attracted further attention when barn manager Tony Heppner went public, criticizing the use of small-calibre rifles in the euthanization process and defending the actions of staff at the facility.

Since that time, the operation has been under investigation for the inhumane treatment of animals under the Animal Care Act.

“Investigations such as this generally take six months to a year to complete,” said the spokeswoman, adding the Crown has up to two years to lay charges following an incident.

— Shannon VanRaes is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator in Winnipeg. A version of this article appeared in the Aug. 22, 2013 issue.

Related stories:
Province offered aid before pigs shot at Manitoba barn, Oct. 10, 2012
Man. workers’ shooting of pigs in ‘distress’ questioned, Sept. 7, 2012
Hundreds of weanling hogs euthanized at W. Man. farm, Aug. 28, 2012

The post Manitoba prosecutors to review 2012 hog barn case appeared first on Farmtario.

Premier Greg Selinger made the announcement in Winnipeg on Wednesday, indicating construction could begin within three years.

“We’re going to do all the studies, get the ball rolling on this,” said Selinger. “It’s going to make these people’s lives more stable for the future.”

In the fall of 2011 the province built an emergency channel from Lake St. Martin to Big Buffalo Lake to lower water levels. That channel will now become permanent, while a possible five routes will be examined to create a new channel from Lake Manitoba to Lake St. Martin.

The two projects are expected to cost $250 million by completion, which is expected to take eight years inclusive of design and engineering work.

“This is one of the most significant commitments we’re making as a result of raising the PST by one per cent; it provides resources for this project to go ahead,” said Selinger.

The process of building the new channel and making the existing one permanent will require consultation and regulatory approvals that take time, Selinger said, noting the emergent nature of the 2011 flood negated those procedures.

“We were very fortunate in 2011 that we got a lot of those requirements waived to build that emergency channel,” he said.

Adding that other flood mitigation recommendations made in the reports will be considered in the future, Selinger said climate change is making extreme weather a real and present danger that requires a “more aggressive mitigation style.”

“We’ve seen three major flood risks in this province in the last five years, so that tells you that the gap between major events is shortening and the severity is increasing, the 2011 flood was the worst in the history of Manitoba,” said Selinger.

Provincial opposition leader Brian Pallister on Wedesday mocked the government’s plan as a “‘diversion’ diversion” and an attempt to “change the channel by proposing a channel that’s been proposed for half a century.”

— Shannon VanRaes is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator in Winnipeg. Follow her @ShannonVanRaes on Twitter. Includes files from AGCanada.com staff.

The post Flood mitigation pledged on Lake Manitoba appeared first on Farmtario.