EDITORIAL: QFA EDITORIAL

The following editorial is the third of a seven-part series of commentaries by QFA Vice-president Chris Judd, entitled “The Seven Bank Accounts of a Farmer.” It’s not only money that makes a successful agricultural operation, says Judd, but also education, seed, soil, family, neighbours and politics, which make up any farm’s healthy “bank accounts.” In this instalment, Chris explains what might be the most important characteristic of any innovative producer—farm knowledge and developing a thirst for learning.

The Seven Bank Accounts of a Farmer — # 3: Knowledge

Chris Judd

QFA Vice-president

As a teenage farm boy starting high school in the early sixties, school—and all the work that went with it—had a hard time competing with the fun of farming. To a kid just starting out, working with animals, driving machinery and fixing things that break can all be very gratifying stuff. Going to a farm machinery show in March was a no-brainer compared to reviewing schoolwork for our annual March tests. Given the choice, I went with the machinery show every time.

My first real thirst for more education came following a presentation to eighth graders at school by an “extension worker” from some college. That extension worker didn’t mince words: he told us straight up that the average college graduate made a million dollars more in their working life than a high school drop out. I don’t remember another thing he said. But to a farm kid in the early sixties, the promise of a million dollars was something I would not soon forget.

After that day even history class took on a whole new meaning. When I aced a physics aptitude test, my guidance counsellor even tried to steer me into engineering. I was sold on the idea of getting a little more education—but in farming, not engineering. It only took one more visit from the extension professor from Macdonald College to make up my mind. After my Christmas break during grade 11, I applied to Mac.

Even after I had started at Mac, I figured my education would be complete once I was handed my diploma from “that noble institution.” My dad always said a piece of paper isn’t hard to carry compared to bales of hay or forking out a box stall.

Little did I know that the most important thing you can learn is the hunger to learn more. Any forward-looking producer who plans on making his or her farm last for generations will never tire in the quest to gain more knowledge. Ministry of Environment inspectors may not approve of the way we were taught to feed cows, grow crops and manage manure in the sixties (Mac professors said it was cheaper to push the manure over the bank and use chemical fertilizer!), but today’s production methods are a far cry from what they were 40 years ago. Some farmers become innovators while others are left in the dust.

Keeping up on the newest developments in feeding technology can give you an edge when trying to decide whether that feed salesman is selling you “foo-foo powder” or is actually light years ahead of the crowd. In the same way, following innovation in agriculture can let you know if your fertilizer rep is making your bottom line his number one priority, or if he’s just thinking about his wallet.

Continuing your education may cost money at first, but with more knowledge comes more ways to save dollars and cents. Learning how to save a cow from being culled too early, or how to save ten cents per cow per day on feeding costs, can be a huge boost to any farming operation. And apart from the very profitable payback, a professional development trip at a “Managing for Profit” seminar for a few days in February, or a technology trip to Brazil or California for ten days in March, can come as a nice break.

Often you’ll learn more over a friendly drink with your peers than at the seminar. The contacts and resource people you’re able to meet can be with you for life.

One of the most interesting—and necessary—subjects that our family has been exposed to was a session in philosophy, the science of how your partners think and why. One of the biggest challenges in farming today is managing and getting along with other people. And the list of people that the average producer must to learn to work well with is long: mom, dad, son, brother, sister, your partner or employee, the vet, the nutritionist, the crop specialist, the environment inspector, the milk truck driver, your banker, your accountant—the list goes on and on and on.

There are lots of specialists out there available to help you; it’s up to you to know whose help you need. In farming life, you have to keep yourself and your successor up to date on everything—and make sure that the learning never stops.

Producers call for government intervention in livestock crisis

Andrew McClelland

Advocate Staff Reporter

Canada’s agricultural producers are starting 2008 with a loud and clear demand to the federal government: do something about the crisis facing the nation’s livestock industry or there soon won’t be any industry left.

In the past year, The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has voiced its concern many times over the key issues that have left Canada’s livestock industry ailing. Rising production costs, the adverse effects of the strong Canadian dollar, dwindling profits and market prices, and loss of domestic processing capacity have combined to leave producers wondering about the future of their livelihood. Add that list of difficulties to those caused by the 2003 BSE crisis and it’s easy to see why Canadian farmers are demanding that Ottawa do more for agriculture.

“We have seen some action at the provincial level, so the federal government now needs to show some leadership and step up to the plate,” said CFA President Bob Friesen. “All the announcements made to date have dealt with program money already announced and committed. They have not addressed the solutions being recommended by the industry.”

Action at the provincial level hasn’t been quick either, but many provinces have taken the initiative needed to help their hog and beef farmers in particular. The Ontario government announced in mid-December that it would inject $150 million into the province’s agriculture “to strengthen competitiveness,” with $100 million going directly to cattle and hog producers. Industry professionals estimate that Ontario beef producers collectively lost $100 million dollars in the last six months of 2007.

Provincial help also came lately for the Saskatchewan pork industry. Hog farmers across Canada have been particularly hard hit in recent years. With high fuel costs, climbing prices for feed such as barley, and the growing demands on ethanol production, many believe that Canada’s pork infrastructure could be on the brink of collapse.

“Without exaggeration, I can say we are on the verge of losing our pork industry, which has become a backbone of the Canadian agricultural export economy and to the entire Canadian economy,” said Bob Friesen. Similarly, Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Bob Bjornerud commented that help for his province’s pork producers is “desperately needed.”

Hog farmers in Saskatchewan can now apply for a provincial “Short-Term Hog Loan Program” and federally administered relief money through the newly created AgriStability program.

But many farmers are saying that such ad hoc payments are band-aid solutions that won’t last. Many in the hog industry feel that packing plants and processors are exploiting farmers by paying too little for their meat and making an unfair profit.

Here in Quebec, the pork industry is up against what it is calling the worst crisis in its history. Falling prices have hurt the industry at every level while slaughtering facilities can’t keep up with production (as of December 2007, 44,000 hogs were waiting to be slaughtered in the province). Meanwhile, Jean-Guy Vincent, president of the Fédération des producteurs de porcs du Québec has officially called on Quebec Minister of Agriculture Laurent Lessard to intervene and solve the crisis in the pork sector.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other industry representatives say that they want a new loan program that will help farmers in all areas of livestock production to be protected from the whims of the global economy. That means cash payments that come quickly, reliably with extra help from all levels of government.

“This is not a permanent crisis,” says Friesen. “Those producers just need a hand to overcome this immediate convergence of roadblocks and they will be able to get back to making their major contribution to our economy.”

Liberals and Conservatives in a battle for the rural vote

Barry Wilson

Special to the Advocate

Cindy Duncan McMillan, West Quebec beef producer, was her usual optimistic self.

The former Quebec Farmers’ Association president and Liberal candidate in Pontiac riding in the next election had just been appointed advisor on Quebec agricultural issues to Liberal leader Stéphane Dion in early December.

Dion, Montreal academic, year-long federal Liberal leader and ten-year veteran of Liberal cabinets and Quebec politics, is the first to admit he doesn’t have an instinctive understanding of agricultural issues, she said.

“Now, the professor is a student,” said Duncan McMillan. “He really wants to know more about the agriculture file.”

Along with Prince Edward Island MP and parliamentary agriculture critic Wayne Easter, she was asked by the leader to devise policies that “address the current challenges facing Canadian farmers.”

As an articulate, politically astute, experienced hands-on farmer, Duncan McMillan is a fine choice to advise Dion on farm issues. In his previous professional life and his political life as a Montreal MP with responsibility for federal-provincial relations and then the environment, it’s understandable that agriculture isn’t exactly an active file in his memory bank.

Since being elected leader, Dion has been coached to say the appropriate things—supply management is good, the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly is good, the Conservatives are heartless right wing ideologues opposed to helping farmers despite their lock on most farmer-influenced seats.

But Dion has never given the slightest indication that he understood anything behind the words he had been asked to mouth. Questions have led only to banalities about the importance of farmer collective marketing power and the Conservatives’ American-inspired attack on farmer power in favour of corporations.

So Dion is wise to seek help and smart in his choice of Duncan McMillan for advice.

However, politicians are not astute at measuring the strength of their political enemies so Dion likely will hear a version of this from his new Quebec agriculture advisor—the Conservatives are suspect on supporting supply management because they oppose the Canadian Wheat Board single desk, are unpopular because of their tepid support for the ailing hog industry and generally are held in suspicion because of their right wing anti-government ideology.

This likely is what Duncan McMillan is hearing from her farm supporters.

What Dion and the Liberals will face in rural Quebec is somewhat different.

The Harper Conservatives have set aside their traditional antipathy toward collectivist marketing boards and state support for beleaguered industries. They have been arguably more militant in their support of supply management protectionism at World Trade Organization talks than were the Liberals, despite strong Liberal credentials on the file.

Conservatives have made it clear that redesigned farm safety nets still will send billions to farmers, even if their first attempt at aid to hog producers this winter drew only lukewarm responses from the industry.

And unlike more than ten years of Liberal inaction on the file, the Conservatives have moved to create new WTO-sanctioned import restrictions on dairy substitutes and braved the fierce opposition of Canada’s business establishment to impose new standards on cheese making that force processors to use more Canadian milk. Dairy farmers are thrilled.

This is not to say that Conservatives are not vulnerable in rural Quebec on other issues.

It is to say Dion should understand that on agricultural issues, the Conservatives have left the Liberals little room to proclaim Conservative betrayal.

And he should remember that those rural votes he craves have traditionally been conservative votes, supporters of the Creditistes and the Union Nationale except during the Pierre Trudeau era and finally moving to the Bloc Québécois as the only alternative to the urban-centric Liberals.

These rural voters are not natural Liberals no matter what his advisors tell him.

Barry Wilson grew up on a West Quebec farm and has spent more than a quarter century covering agricultural, rural and trade issues on Parliament Hill as National Correspondent for The Western Producer newspaper.

A new Director of Operations for QFA!

Andrew McClelland

Advocate Staff Reporter

The Quebec Farmers’ Association (QFA) has started the New Year with a change in personnel—Wendy Jones will be taking over from Pamela Ledoux as the QFA’s Director of Operations as of January 2008!

Wendy, who recently graduated from Concordia University’s professional journalism program, grew up on a farm in Sutton, QC. Currently enrolled in the animal production technology program at the Institut de technologie agroalimentaire in Saint-Hyacinthe, she joins the QFA with a thorough knowledge of farm life. And if that’s not impressive enough, Wendy is not only fluently bilingual in Canada’s official languages, but trilingual: she learned German from her mother, who grew up Switzerland.

“I’m always excited about meeting new people, and this job will allow me a lot of opportunity for that,” said Wendy. “Although Pam leaves pretty big shoes to fill, I’m really looking forward to be able to work in the agricultural community.”

Ivan Hale, responsible for hiring as the QFA’s Executive Director, was impressed with Wendy’s shining credentials and enthusiastic attitude.

“Wendy comes from a farm background and is deeply interested in pursuing her lifelong interest in agriculture,” said Hale. “She is working at QFA part-time while continuing her studies and working part-time on a horse farm near her home. Like many other farmers, she is juggling many balls in order to pursue her passion for agriculture. We’re as excited as she is to have Wendy join the QFA team.”

It is with a heavy heart that the QFA says goodbye to former Director of Operations Pamela Ledoux. Since joining the QFA in the spring of 2005, Pamela has been the “go-to gal” for association members wanting to know just about anything concerning the QFA’s activities—be it renewing their Advocate subscription, donating to the Warren Grapes fund, or finding the QFA’s office in the Union des producteurs agricoles building!

“We always knew Pam was a treasure and that she would go far in life,” says Hale. “During the time she worked at QFA she learned and lot, and made a major contribution to our association, for which we’re all very grateful. We wish her all the best in the future.”

Pamela was hired as a Production Co-ordinator at Softitler, a Montreal-based company that specializes in adding subtitles for movies and DVDs. Pam will be overseeing the subtitles for a variety of movies and television programs made by Disney.

"My three years at the QFA were incredibly enriching for me, on both a professional and a personal level,” says Pam. “I am very grateful for the opportunities that it brought me and I look forward to keeping in touch!”

From everyone at the QFA: good luck, Pam! And welcome aboard, Wendy!

The devil is in the details when you’re in the dairy barn

Paul Meldrum

Dairy Supervisor

Macdonald Campus Farm

Nowhere does the old saying “the devil is in the details” have more relevance than in managing dairy cattle. Be it in calf raising, feeding dry and lactating cows and making breeding decisions, attention to detail often means the difference between mediocrity and excellence. And so it is with how you milk your cows. It is consistently doing the little things that will determine udder health and the quality of your milk. Over the next few issues, I will look at the various aspects that contribute to top quality milk, including equipment maintenance, and the potential of financial incentives. Today I will discuss milking routine, and I can boil it down to one word - cleanliness.

Everything should be clean: the cows, the bedding, the milking equipment and the person doing the milking. If things are clean, you have fewer opportunities for bacteria to enter the mammary system, causing mastitis or at the very least raising somatic cell counts, and less chance of bacteria getting into the pipeline and bulk tank, raising your bacteria count.

Let’s start with the cows. Bedding that is free of manure is a must, and here is one of those details—frequent scraping of the stalls to keep manure away from the udder, and sprucing up of bedding so there is something other than a mattress or cement under the cow. In a tie barn that means passing behind the cows frequently.

The use of trainers and tail ties is also helpful. In a free-stall set up, it means stall maintenance at every milking and frequent passes of the alley scraper. In our barn the rule is, if you see manure under a cow, take the time to remove it, no matter if you’re headed out to the field, to the feed room or out the door for lunch. Having clean cows reduces the time it takes to milk and makes the job a lot more pleasant. It ties in with what I call the three “C” rule for milking: clean udders, a clean milking machine and clean hands on the person doing the milking.

Clean udders is more than a lack of manure, it is proper disinfection of teats and teat ends either with an udder wash or a pre-dip, followed by a single use paper or cloth towel. It is easy to get into the habit of washing the teats without actually examining them to ensure they are free of debris. Using the same cloth rag to wash cows is a definite no-no because it is nothing but a mastitis maker, a practice that, like milk cans, should just be a part of dairy history. If you do use udder wash, it is equally important to dry the teats before attaching the milker. Water droplets hanging from the end of a teat can be forced into the teat canal if the milking machine is attached without pinching the inflation to cut off the “vacuum shock.” The same can happen with a piece of bedding that you missed during the udder prep. Normally it takes 30 to 60 seconds for the cow to let down her milk after you have stimulated her udder with proper preparation. Attaching milkers too early means your machines are squeezing the teats when there is nothing in them, with the potential to damage the interior of the teat and the teat end. It is the same story with leaving the milking unit on too long. That’s why automatic take-offs do such a nice job—they are consistent and will come off if you’re busy with another cow.

Once the unit is off, the teats should be dipped immediately. It is preferable for the cow to remain standing for about 20 minutes after milking to allow the teat ends a chance to close. The best reason for a cow to stand is to have feed in front of her, and normally they have a keen appetite right after milking. In free-stall operations, it is a common routine to have fresh feed in the bunk as the cows exit the parlour. In a tie-barn, it can actually be a nuisance if the old feed is being removed and the new ration is being fed at the same time as milking, as the cows will move around in their stalls and knock units off as they will be more focused on eating than on giving milk. But there should at least be feed in front of the cows and it should be pushed up just prior to milking. Some producers like to feed a little hay just before milking.

Still with the clean theme, milking machines must come out of the milk house spotless, both inside and out. It requires that a proper job be done in the milk house at the end of chores, ready to start the next milking. If during chores a milking machine becomes dirty, it should be cleaned before attaching it to the next cow. In a tie barn, it may mean taking the unit back to the milk house or keeping a pail of piping hot sanitized water on your cart. Care should be taken that this does not become a cesspool of bacteria—change it often if you have to. In the parlour, units should be hosed off if they get dirty, and all manure should be removed from the floor area under the udders before the next group of cows comes in. You might argue that all of this slows up the milking procedure, but it takes a lot less time to prevent mastitis than it does to treat it. And it costs a lot less.

As for the third “C”, clean hands are probably the easiest part of the process. Whether you use nitril or latex gloves or bare hands, they should always be clean before touching udders or teat ends. You can use the udder wash, the hose in the parlour, the sink in the milk house or change gloves if you have to. Milking is one of the most important jobs on a dairy farm, so proper technique and routine is absolutely crucial. Remember, the devil is in the details—take care of those details and keep the devil out of your barn.

Paul Meldrum is Dairy Supervisor at McGill University’s Macdonald Campus Farm. In the past, he has run successful dairy operations in both Ontario and New York State, hosted and produced CJOH TV’s “Valley Farmer,” and has been heard on agriculture reports for CBC Radio Noon in Ottawa.

Changes to vaccination protocol at specialized auctions

Eve Martin

FPBQ

At the annual general meeting of the F édération des producteurs de bovins du Québec last April, feeder-calf producers adopted a new vaccination protocol.

The new protocol will be applicable to feeder calves marketed at specialized auctions as of January 1, 2008. With these changes, Quebec continues to lead the rest of the country in feeder-calf vaccination.

The following documents must accompany the calves at specialized auction sales:

▪ 2008 vaccination certificate, filled out and signed

▪ Proof of purchase of vaccines used

To check that producers have respected the protocol, veterinarians will take blood samples at specialized auctions, and then follow up with producers.

If you have any questions or need further information don't hesitate to contact Eve Martin at 450-679-0540, ext. 8891.

Verified Beef Production: the Canadian on-farm food safety program

Nathalie Côté

FPBQ

Food safety has become a major factor for any shopper trying to decide what to buy in the supermarket. Proper food safety starts on the farm, and the Verified Beef Production program is designed to address consumers who are concerned with food production methods.

What is the Verified Beef Production program (VBP)

VBP is a producer-led program designed to help implement and verify good production practices on the farm that minimize food safety risk. The program fundamentals are based on three key areas:

▪ Good Production Practices (GPPs):

These management practices cover animal health management, cattle receiving and shipping, cattle feeding, pesticide control and training.

▪ Effective records:

Documenting food safety management practices serve as a proof that withdrawal times are followed and potential hazards are minimized.

▪ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs):

Applying GPPs in a consistent manner in order to prove what is being done.

Why is the VBP program worth my time?

The VBP program is about more than just on-farm food safety. It’s about bringing Canada’s beef operations in line with new marketplace expectations, to support the success of producers and the beef industry both today and in the future. Canada's beef producers are already highly esteemed for acting responsibly, but VBP will heighten their reputation even further.

By providing the latest knowledge to assess and improve on-farm food safety, the program helps producers keep up to date with best practices. These are designed to not only ensure on-farm food safety but to also support improved efficiency and profitability.

To get involved in the program.

The VBP program is completely voluntary. While it takes effort to be done properly, the process is not difficult.

Step 1: Attend a VBP workshop. This course provides a complete overview of the program.

Step 2: Implement the SOPs at your farm. Some producer will choose to simply implement the SOPs, others will move to the next step—a registration audit.

Step 3: Apply to become a registered beef operation.

When is the next workshop?

The next VBP workshop will be held in French on Monday, February 4 at MAPAQ

Buckingham, and in English on Tuesday, February 5 at Heritage Hall in Low. Both workshops will take place between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

For more information or to arrange a workshop in your area call Nathalie Côté at 450-679-0530 or ncote@upa.qc.ca. Workshops are offered at no cost. Some partial funding is available from the Canadian Food Safety and Quality Program for approved equipment and software to all producers attending a workshop.

A season-by-season list for a successful farm transfer

Vincent McConnell, agronome

Jocelyne Jourdain, agronome

Discuss, make a plan, determine your sources of finance, evaluate the fiscal and legal aspects, persevere and carry on—then if necessary, start over again! However, all your efforts could be in vain if you merely repeat your mistakes and hope for a different outcome.

So here is a list of things to do in order to accomplish what might seem like the impossible: a successful transfer or start-up of a farm enterprise.

Start off the New Year by talking with your children, your parents and those dear to you, listening to what they have to say about their vision of an ideal farm transfer project (for example, continue as is, change certain elements, expand the business, improve it or sell it). Listening does not necessarily mean arguing. In most cases, this is best left to others (for instance, it may be preferable to have a competent advisor tell you what is possible and what is not). In the end, the more ideas you have, the easier it will be to prepare your farm succession plan.

The family that has the best chance for a successful farm transfer is one where all family members understand and respect the ideas and objectives of the others, both on a business level and on a personal level. Ideally, they will even try to help each other attain these objectives. If necessary, an outside third party may be called in to facilitate dialogue and communication.

Once your various options have been considered, it is time to draw up a transfer plan. If you have not already done so, it is also an opportunity to bring in good advisors who can help you advance your plan throughout the year (combining IQs can be very effective!). At the very least, the following resource-people should be involved: someone to oversee and support the family throughout the process, a financial advisor, an accountant or tax specialist and a notary. The MAPAQ farm succession and establishment advisor can be a valuable resource person, by introducing you to other useful specialists, such as the Outaouais Advisory Services Network, the Groupe conseil agricole de l’Outaouais, the UPA, the Financière agricole du Québec and other private consultants. By being aware of the various resources available, who can be potentially useful to your project, you may then call upon any of these experienced advisors to help prepare your succession plan and ultimately to complete the farm transfer.

Here’s a suggestion: arrange for a preliminary meeting (or do it by phone) with each of the chosen advisors about one month before finalizing your farm succession plan. That way, they can review it and give you a list of the various documents you will need (and the decisions you will have to make during the transfer process) in order to avoid surprises and delays.

These should be trusted support-persons who have been chosen by the family members and who can help them advance through the farm transfer process.

Generally speaking, farm transfers and new start-ups can take from six months to six years to complete. You have probably heard the old saying, “Everything turns out alright in the end, and if it is not alright, then it is probably not the end.” In other words, if you do not succeed during the first year, persevere and continue the steps during the following year. The most satisfied families seem to be those who take their time to do things right.

Finally, remember that your MAPAQ farm succession and establishment advisor is there to help you and direct you to the services that you have a right to call upon.

Gatineau: Vincent McConnell, Agronome

Tel: 819 986-8544 or 1 888 536-2720, ext. 233

Shawville: Roger Saint-Cyr, Engineer and agronome

Tel: 819 647-5779 ou 1 888 206-7575, ext. 225

Maniwaki: Elisabeth Shea, Information officer

Tel: 819 449-3400 or 1 800 266-5217, ext. 203