Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
It appears that most of Saskatchewan should be relatively safe from major grasshopper infestations for 2008, although there are some pockets of concern around the province.
That's the prognosis contained in the "2008 Grasshopper Forecast" compiled by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture in conjunction with Saskatchewan Crop Insurance.
The forecast, along with a corresponding colour-coded map showing the projected infestation risk across the province, has now been posted on the ministry's website at http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/.
"Overall, it looks like the majority of the province falls into the ‘none to very light' category, where the grasshopper population should not be a problem," said Dale Risula, the Integrated Crop Management Systems Specialist with the Agriculture Knowledge Centre in Moose Jaw.
"There are a few isolated regions that have the potential for large populations of grasshoppers in 2008, but those are very small, particular areas," he added. "It appears that there may be three or four specific zones that could encounter some difficulties."
The forecast is based on the adult grasshopper counts observed during August and early September 2007 by Saskatchewan Crop Insurance field staff. The survey includes more than 1,100 sites throughout the province. The forecast is based on adult grasshoppers capable of reproduction. This provides an estimate of the number of eggs that may hatch the following spring and present a risk to crops in 2008.
"The forecast is not an absolute certainty," Risula noted. "It is just to say what the probability or the foundation is for grasshopper numbers in the upcoming growing season."
The primary factor determining actual grasshopper numbers will be the weather next spring.
"The hatch in the springtime is going to depend on growing degree days, which is a measure of accumulated heat units. If it's a dry, warm spring and the soil heats up fairly significantly, you could see an increase in the hatch numbers that take place. If it's a cold, wet spring, you will probably see populations kept at bay."
Populations can be affected by several other factors, including the presence of predatory insects, as well as the incidence of disease.
According to Risula, just about every crop grown in Saskatchewan is at some degree of risk from grasshopper damage. With cereals, grasshoppers generally consume the leaf material, which reduces the photosynthetic ability of the plant. With crops like lentil or flax, they usually attack the pods or bolls, which directly impacts yield.
In other crops such as canola, mustard or pea, grasshoppers may present an additional problem. "If they are present when the crop is being combined, their body parts can get picked up in the harvest and contaminate the sample, lowering the seed quality and requiring further processing," Risula said.
"Even in those areas where projections are low, producers would be well-served keeping a close eye on the situation, since infestations can vary widely on a field-by-field basis."
More information and advice on grasshopper projections and control methods can be found on the Saskatchewan Agriculture website or by calling the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Dale Risula, Integrated Cropping Management Systems Specialist
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Phone: (306) 694-3714
E-mail: drisula@agr.gov.sk.ca
Showing posts with label oilseeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oilseeds. Show all posts
Saskatchewan Students to Sell Tortillas to Mexico
There's an old expression to describe an excellent sales person: "She could sell sand in the desert." In the case of two University of Regina students, they're going to try selling tortillas made from Saskatchewan roasted barley to Mexico.
Students Chelsea Stulberg and Mathew Zook drew that assignment, thanks to winning the latest Bridges to International Practice competition at the University of Regina's Paul J. Hill School of Business. Associate Professor of Marketing Sylvain Charlebois stages the competition as an advanced marketing class, with real companies and real products.
"I meet with the executives of a company that is interested in getting involved with us before the semester actually starts," said Charlebois. "We look at what projects they want us to get involved with, and we design a course in accordance with that mandate. Every semester is different. We've had projects with five different companies, and the focus has gone from communications to channels to branding and market segmentation."
The latest project idea came from CanMar Grain Products of Regina. They agreed to sponsor the winning students' trip in exchange for their market research.
"They are in Mexico with their roasted flax, and they wanted to develop that market for roasted barley," Charlebois stated.
The class takes up a semester, during which students, generally in teams, do research on the product they've been given, and develop marketing proposals which are then presented near the end of the semester.
"They all submit their written proposals, and those proposals are read by me and the executives of the company," said Charlebois. "Then, a few teams are short-listed. Those are invited to present their proposals to a jury of six members, comprised of two representatives from the company, one from Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, and three professors from the faculty of business."
Once the winning proposal is chosen, the students must go to work in the international market chosen, aiming to create real results for the sponsoring company.
"The idea of this advanced class is that they can actually travel abroad and collect some primary data by interviewing people and meeting prospects and consumers in a foreign country," said Charlebois.
In the case of CanMar, the students are proposing to market tortillas made from roasted barley as a more nutritional, and perhaps less expensive, alternative to the traditional corn tortillas favoured by Mexican consumers. The project means that the students, along with a faculty advisor and an executive from CanMar, will travel to the United States and Mexico in February.
"They will be meeting with potential distributors for their product in the southern U.S. as a launching pad to get into Mexico," said Charlebois. "They will move into Mexico to see whether there are potential retailers to market roasted barley."
Previous winners of the competition have traveled to China, Australia and Ukraine, among other countries, working on marketing products including Saskatchewan canola and pigs. In one case, the company involved ended up selling about 1,000 pigs through a joint venture in China.
According to Charlebois, in addition to finding new markets for the companies, the students are creating opportunities for themselves.
"We've had about 14 students who have had offers from the companies that got involved with us, so it's a great opportunity to keep our students here."
Professor Charlebois is looking for Saskatchewan companies with an interest in placing their products in offshore markets through his class. The sponsorship involves the time of the company executives and the payment of the winning students' travel costs.
"To my knowledge, this is the only program in Canada that brings students into a competitive environment where they get to travel free of charge," he said. "It's an equal opportunity for all of our students."
For more information, contact:
Sylvain Charlebois, Associate Professor of Marketing
Paul J. Hill School of Business
University of Regina
Phone: (306) 337-2695
E-mail: sylvain.charlebois@uregina.ca
Students Chelsea Stulberg and Mathew Zook drew that assignment, thanks to winning the latest Bridges to International Practice competition at the University of Regina's Paul J. Hill School of Business. Associate Professor of Marketing Sylvain Charlebois stages the competition as an advanced marketing class, with real companies and real products.
"I meet with the executives of a company that is interested in getting involved with us before the semester actually starts," said Charlebois. "We look at what projects they want us to get involved with, and we design a course in accordance with that mandate. Every semester is different. We've had projects with five different companies, and the focus has gone from communications to channels to branding and market segmentation."
The latest project idea came from CanMar Grain Products of Regina. They agreed to sponsor the winning students' trip in exchange for their market research.
"They are in Mexico with their roasted flax, and they wanted to develop that market for roasted barley," Charlebois stated.
The class takes up a semester, during which students, generally in teams, do research on the product they've been given, and develop marketing proposals which are then presented near the end of the semester.
"They all submit their written proposals, and those proposals are read by me and the executives of the company," said Charlebois. "Then, a few teams are short-listed. Those are invited to present their proposals to a jury of six members, comprised of two representatives from the company, one from Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, and three professors from the faculty of business."
Once the winning proposal is chosen, the students must go to work in the international market chosen, aiming to create real results for the sponsoring company.
"The idea of this advanced class is that they can actually travel abroad and collect some primary data by interviewing people and meeting prospects and consumers in a foreign country," said Charlebois.
In the case of CanMar, the students are proposing to market tortillas made from roasted barley as a more nutritional, and perhaps less expensive, alternative to the traditional corn tortillas favoured by Mexican consumers. The project means that the students, along with a faculty advisor and an executive from CanMar, will travel to the United States and Mexico in February.
"They will be meeting with potential distributors for their product in the southern U.S. as a launching pad to get into Mexico," said Charlebois. "They will move into Mexico to see whether there are potential retailers to market roasted barley."
Previous winners of the competition have traveled to China, Australia and Ukraine, among other countries, working on marketing products including Saskatchewan canola and pigs. In one case, the company involved ended up selling about 1,000 pigs through a joint venture in China.
According to Charlebois, in addition to finding new markets for the companies, the students are creating opportunities for themselves.
"We've had about 14 students who have had offers from the companies that got involved with us, so it's a great opportunity to keep our students here."
Professor Charlebois is looking for Saskatchewan companies with an interest in placing their products in offshore markets through his class. The sponsorship involves the time of the company executives and the payment of the winning students' travel costs.
"To my knowledge, this is the only program in Canada that brings students into a competitive environment where they get to travel free of charge," he said. "It's an equal opportunity for all of our students."
For more information, contact:
Sylvain Charlebois, Associate Professor of Marketing
Paul J. Hill School of Business
University of Regina
Phone: (306) 337-2695
E-mail: sylvain.charlebois@uregina.ca
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A Natural Fit Suggests Bright Future For Can Pro
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Can Pro Ingredients Ltd. Of Arborfield is currently taking the necessary steps to establish the first commercial implementation of a new canola processing technology. The technology was made possible through acquisitions deemed a natural fit for the company.
After the recent acquisition of business assets and operations of Arborfield Dehy Ltd. (ADL) and licensing of proprietary canola processing technology from MCN Bioproducts Inc. (MCN), Can Pro Ingredients Ltd. Is in the process of transforming ADL's existing alfalfa processing plant into a multi-product processing facility.
"The acquisition was necessary to provide the base for the production facility," explained Todd Lahti, President and CEO of Can Pro Ingredients. "We acquired these assets and now we are expanding the production facilities that exist there, so it was a faster route than starting from scratch."
He says the combined operations are larger, more diversified, and more flexible than either alone.
"Arborfield Dehy Ltd. Has been operating the alfalfa business since the early 1970s, so when looking for a place to start this new canola business, it was beneficial to start it where there was existing infrastructure in place," said Lahti.
Lahti added that there are certain pieces of equipment that are utilized in the ADL business that are also utilized in the canola processing scheme and that they are planning to put to work within the new facility.
The expansion of the facility is expected to be complete and commissioned by May of next year. In addition to alfalfa, Can Pro will be processing canola. They will be crushing seed and using the licensed new canola processing technology which fractionates canola meal into a series of higher value products.
The infractionation process is a home-grown canola technology invented at the University of Saskatchewan and commercialized by MCN to employ in Saskatchewan's most productive canola region.
"This new venture is a synergistic combination of existing infrastructure and new technology," said Lahti. "Our value-added processing model accesses multiple input crops, maximizes infrastructure utilization, injects proprietary technology, and produces a diversified product line for international feed and industry markets."
"The canola meal is a low-value byproduct right now. MCN's patented infractionation process takes canola meal and fractionates it into multiple byproduct streams, creating products of much higher value than canola meal," explained Lahti.
"The canola meal has been an undervalued product for years with limited utilization. Therefore, fractionating the canola meal into other products opens up new markets for canola protein that previously could not be accessed. The new market suggests that more value is generated from the starting seed."
Can Pro has also attracted attention from biofuel manufacturers who have byproduct streams in need of further processing. The company's total seed utilization and multiple input materials approach to canola and alfalfa provide a model to enhance the economic viability of the biofuels industry.
"One of the problems with the biodiesel economic model is that they get little value from the meal. Our model extracts much greater value from the meal, which then allows better economics for the overall biodiesel manufacturer," Lahti suggested.
"Combined with unique local inputs, our model provides a risk-managed, sustainable, competitive advantage for our new company. If bio-refining is the wave of the future, this is an important step."
For more information, contact:
Todd Lahti, President and CEO
Can Pro Ingredients Ltd.
Phone: (306) 651-1930
E-mail: lahti@cpil.ca
Can Pro Ingredients Ltd. Of Arborfield is currently taking the necessary steps to establish the first commercial implementation of a new canola processing technology. The technology was made possible through acquisitions deemed a natural fit for the company.
After the recent acquisition of business assets and operations of Arborfield Dehy Ltd. (ADL) and licensing of proprietary canola processing technology from MCN Bioproducts Inc. (MCN), Can Pro Ingredients Ltd. Is in the process of transforming ADL's existing alfalfa processing plant into a multi-product processing facility.
"The acquisition was necessary to provide the base for the production facility," explained Todd Lahti, President and CEO of Can Pro Ingredients. "We acquired these assets and now we are expanding the production facilities that exist there, so it was a faster route than starting from scratch."
He says the combined operations are larger, more diversified, and more flexible than either alone.
"Arborfield Dehy Ltd. Has been operating the alfalfa business since the early 1970s, so when looking for a place to start this new canola business, it was beneficial to start it where there was existing infrastructure in place," said Lahti.
Lahti added that there are certain pieces of equipment that are utilized in the ADL business that are also utilized in the canola processing scheme and that they are planning to put to work within the new facility.
The expansion of the facility is expected to be complete and commissioned by May of next year. In addition to alfalfa, Can Pro will be processing canola. They will be crushing seed and using the licensed new canola processing technology which fractionates canola meal into a series of higher value products.
The infractionation process is a home-grown canola technology invented at the University of Saskatchewan and commercialized by MCN to employ in Saskatchewan's most productive canola region.
"This new venture is a synergistic combination of existing infrastructure and new technology," said Lahti. "Our value-added processing model accesses multiple input crops, maximizes infrastructure utilization, injects proprietary technology, and produces a diversified product line for international feed and industry markets."
"The canola meal is a low-value byproduct right now. MCN's patented infractionation process takes canola meal and fractionates it into multiple byproduct streams, creating products of much higher value than canola meal," explained Lahti.
"The canola meal has been an undervalued product for years with limited utilization. Therefore, fractionating the canola meal into other products opens up new markets for canola protein that previously could not be accessed. The new market suggests that more value is generated from the starting seed."
Can Pro has also attracted attention from biofuel manufacturers who have byproduct streams in need of further processing. The company's total seed utilization and multiple input materials approach to canola and alfalfa provide a model to enhance the economic viability of the biofuels industry.
"One of the problems with the biodiesel economic model is that they get little value from the meal. Our model extracts much greater value from the meal, which then allows better economics for the overall biodiesel manufacturer," Lahti suggested.
"Combined with unique local inputs, our model provides a risk-managed, sustainable, competitive advantage for our new company. If bio-refining is the wave of the future, this is an important step."
For more information, contact:
Todd Lahti, President and CEO
Can Pro Ingredients Ltd.
Phone: (306) 651-1930
E-mail: lahti@cpil.ca
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Record year for oat production
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The latest figures from Statistics Canada show that this year's oat production on the Prairies could be at the highest level in three decades.
Saskatchewan's oat production is up 44 per cent from last year.
The Statistics Canada survey of over 3,000 Saskatchewan farmers pegs oat production in the province at 2.5 million tonnes.
Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission Executive Director Jack Dawes says strong market factors are driving an increase of over 35 per cent in harvested acres.
"The big thing is that oat prices went up quite substantially, and that, of course, always drives acres. The other thing to keep in mind is that oats have been one of the few profitable crops over the past few years," Dawes said.
"Partly because of the need for lower input costs, oats have been a real solid crop. Of course, there has been a lot of good export demand from the United States, so that has helped keep prices up."
The big American millers, including companies like General Mills and Quaker Oats, are major purchasers of Canadian oats.
"We grow the best oats, and there are very, very few oats of any quality being grown in the States. Since the early ‘90s, Canada has been the go-to market for the big players," Dawes said. "Right here in Yorkton, we have Grain Millers, and they have several plants in the U.S. So there are very strong customers for Canadian oats."
While production was up, Dawes says yields could have been better.
"From all indications, oats have been no different than any other crop in that what looked like big bushels back in June haven't panned out," he noted. "A lot of that has to do with the heat. My guess is that yields are going to come in somewhere around average, but the bushel weight is going to be down."
Some external market factors suggest that oat prices and the oat market will remain strong, with even an outside chance this year could actually see Canadian oats exported to Europe. Analysts predict that a bad crop year in Europe and an end to the European export subsidy for oats could create import demand for the Canadian product.
"There are always a number of factors, but it seems like a lot of them have come together at a good time for farmers who are looking to sell oats," said Dawes.
There are an estimated 14,000 oat producers in Saskatchewan, but the volume of oat production still pales in comparison to canola, barley and wheat.
The Statistics Canada survey also showed significant production increases this year in other crops. Pea production is expected to be about 2.4 million tonnes, thanks to a record harvested area of 2.9 million acres. Barley production increased by more than 850,000 tonnes to 4.3 million tonnes, with a 29-per-cent increase in the harvested area.
Statistics Canada will release final production numbers in early December.
For more information, contact:
Jack Dawes, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission
Phone: (306) 744-2775
Website: http://www.poga.ca/
The latest figures from Statistics Canada show that this year's oat production on the Prairies could be at the highest level in three decades.
Saskatchewan's oat production is up 44 per cent from last year.
The Statistics Canada survey of over 3,000 Saskatchewan farmers pegs oat production in the province at 2.5 million tonnes.
Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission Executive Director Jack Dawes says strong market factors are driving an increase of over 35 per cent in harvested acres.
"The big thing is that oat prices went up quite substantially, and that, of course, always drives acres. The other thing to keep in mind is that oats have been one of the few profitable crops over the past few years," Dawes said.
"Partly because of the need for lower input costs, oats have been a real solid crop. Of course, there has been a lot of good export demand from the United States, so that has helped keep prices up."
The big American millers, including companies like General Mills and Quaker Oats, are major purchasers of Canadian oats.
"We grow the best oats, and there are very, very few oats of any quality being grown in the States. Since the early ‘90s, Canada has been the go-to market for the big players," Dawes said. "Right here in Yorkton, we have Grain Millers, and they have several plants in the U.S. So there are very strong customers for Canadian oats."
While production was up, Dawes says yields could have been better.
"From all indications, oats have been no different than any other crop in that what looked like big bushels back in June haven't panned out," he noted. "A lot of that has to do with the heat. My guess is that yields are going to come in somewhere around average, but the bushel weight is going to be down."
Some external market factors suggest that oat prices and the oat market will remain strong, with even an outside chance this year could actually see Canadian oats exported to Europe. Analysts predict that a bad crop year in Europe and an end to the European export subsidy for oats could create import demand for the Canadian product.
"There are always a number of factors, but it seems like a lot of them have come together at a good time for farmers who are looking to sell oats," said Dawes.
There are an estimated 14,000 oat producers in Saskatchewan, but the volume of oat production still pales in comparison to canola, barley and wheat.
The Statistics Canada survey also showed significant production increases this year in other crops. Pea production is expected to be about 2.4 million tonnes, thanks to a record harvested area of 2.9 million acres. Barley production increased by more than 850,000 tonnes to 4.3 million tonnes, with a 29-per-cent increase in the harvested area.
Statistics Canada will release final production numbers in early December.
For more information, contact:
Jack Dawes, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Oat Development Commission
Phone: (306) 744-2775
Website: http://www.poga.ca/
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Keep Your Canola Cool This Fall
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
A decent harvest and record production will see a lot of canola in the bin this year. However, the Canola Council of Canada is advising growers to make sure they condition their canola to storage-safe temperature and moisture levels this fall, or their hard work could all be for naught.
Canola Council agronomy specialist David Vanthuyne says the variable weather conditions during the harvest season should make growers very cautious as they store their canola.
Vanthuyne explains that conditioning involves moving air through the grain mass to prevent any spoilage that may result from moisture migration and seed respiration. He stresses that canola harvested at much above eight- to nine-per-cent moisture must be conditioned, especially if grain temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius.
"Aeration and/or ‘turning' the canola can be an effective way to avoid spoilage," Vanthuyne said. The objective is to cool the seed to below 15 degrees Celsius, and to lower its moisture content to eight per cent moisture - but "if moisture levels are above 10 to 12 per cent, growers need to consider heated air drying," he added.
Growers must regularly monitor their bins for heating or mould growth. Because farmers are using bigger and bigger bins, more heat can be generated and trapped in the bin.
Recent cooler temperatures may give growers a little more time to condition canola, but growers must not assume they are home free, "even if the stored canola is already down below 15 degrees Celsius," Vanthuyne noted. Pockets of damp seed or green dockage can still create hot spots that can quickly spoil a bin.
Even dry canola can still be at risk if it has a high temperature, especially if parts of the bin contain green material which can potentially start the spoiling process.
As a result, Vanthuyne says it is important for producers with stored canola to keep a close eye on their bins even after the seed has been conditioned. Freshly harvested canola can maintain a high respiration rate for up to six weeks before becoming dormant. Over time, the seed may become mouldy or heat-damaged, and, in severe cases, it can ignite.
So, even though the crush of harvest may be nearing the home stretch, producers with crop in the bin are
reminded to keep their eyes open for any sign of trouble in there. "Monitoring is a best practice, just like keeping malathion far away from stored canola," Vanthuyne stated.
More information and advice on the safe storage of canola can be found on the following web pages:
* http://www.canola-council.org/safestorage.aspx
* http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/crop1301
* http://www.canola-council.org/MalathionAug11.html
For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Agronomist
Canadian Canola Council
Phone: (306) 946-3588
A decent harvest and record production will see a lot of canola in the bin this year. However, the Canola Council of Canada is advising growers to make sure they condition their canola to storage-safe temperature and moisture levels this fall, or their hard work could all be for naught.
Canola Council agronomy specialist David Vanthuyne says the variable weather conditions during the harvest season should make growers very cautious as they store their canola.
Vanthuyne explains that conditioning involves moving air through the grain mass to prevent any spoilage that may result from moisture migration and seed respiration. He stresses that canola harvested at much above eight- to nine-per-cent moisture must be conditioned, especially if grain temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius.
"Aeration and/or ‘turning' the canola can be an effective way to avoid spoilage," Vanthuyne said. The objective is to cool the seed to below 15 degrees Celsius, and to lower its moisture content to eight per cent moisture - but "if moisture levels are above 10 to 12 per cent, growers need to consider heated air drying," he added.
Growers must regularly monitor their bins for heating or mould growth. Because farmers are using bigger and bigger bins, more heat can be generated and trapped in the bin.
Recent cooler temperatures may give growers a little more time to condition canola, but growers must not assume they are home free, "even if the stored canola is already down below 15 degrees Celsius," Vanthuyne noted. Pockets of damp seed or green dockage can still create hot spots that can quickly spoil a bin.
Even dry canola can still be at risk if it has a high temperature, especially if parts of the bin contain green material which can potentially start the spoiling process.
As a result, Vanthuyne says it is important for producers with stored canola to keep a close eye on their bins even after the seed has been conditioned. Freshly harvested canola can maintain a high respiration rate for up to six weeks before becoming dormant. Over time, the seed may become mouldy or heat-damaged, and, in severe cases, it can ignite.
So, even though the crush of harvest may be nearing the home stretch, producers with crop in the bin are
reminded to keep their eyes open for any sign of trouble in there. "Monitoring is a best practice, just like keeping malathion far away from stored canola," Vanthuyne stated.
More information and advice on the safe storage of canola can be found on the following web pages:
* http://www.canola-council.org/safestorage.aspx
* http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/crop1301
* http://www.canola-council.org/MalathionAug11.html
For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Agronomist
Canadian Canola Council
Phone: (306) 946-3588
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Expansion takes biodiesel producer to the next level
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
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Canola growers should beware of aster yellows
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
A disease that causes strange malformations is showing up in greater concentrations in this year's canola crop.
The disease is called "aster yellows," and it is caused by something called a phytoplasma - a micro-organism somewhere between a bacteria and a virus.
Penny Pearse, the Provincial Plant Disease Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, says, for the past six years, the incidence of aster yellows has been at trace levels of less than one per cent, but the number will be much higher this year, with some crops experiencing up to 10 per cent infection.
"We have received more reports of aster yellows in canola from both growers and agronomists, and it appears to be quite wide-spread across the province," she noted. "What makes this disease look so unique is that it causes malformations in the plant, so the plants are often taller, discoloured, and have malformed pods and flowers. The infection may look worse than it actually is, since the symptoms are so dramatic, so we recommend that growers do a count of infected and healthy plants to determine the actual incidence value."
Pearse says the phytoplasma causes the disease, but it needs a helping hand.
"A phytoplasma will not survive on its own, so it gets transferred from plant to plant by an insect vector. In this case, the most common vector is the aster leafhopper," she stated.
"When an insect feeds on an infected plant, it will pick up this pathogen and transfer it to healthy plants. So, in a year when we have more leafhoppers, we tend to see more aster yellows."
The damage done by aster yellows is complete and irreversible, with the yield loss dependent on the number of plants affected.
"Most of the diseases we have in Saskatchewan are caused by fungi, which can be controlled through the use of a fungicide. Whereas something like aster yellows, once it is in the plant, there is nothing you can do... the damage is done," Pearse said.
"We don't know a lot about this disease," she said. "Leafhoppers have been found to over-winter in Saskatchewan and can keep the phytoplasma alive from one season to the next. In addition, some of the perennial crops that we grow here - meaning crops with root systems that over-winter - offer a way for the pathogen to over-winter. Crops like echinacea and caraway are also at risk," Pearse stated.
A survey of canola fields was conducted this summer to look at aster yellows and other canola diseases. Aster yellows was present in all surveyed fields, ranging from trace levels to as high as 15 per cent infection. The overall average infection level in 2007 is approximately two per cent, which is similar to 2000's levels. It is likely that this summer's heat amplified the aster yellows symptoms. In addition, the phytoplasma multiplies more quickly in the plant under hot conditions.
For more information, check out the aster yellows fact sheet on the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food website at http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/. It can be found in the "Production" section under "Disease."
For more information, contact:
Penny Pearse, Provincial Plant Disease Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 787-4671
A disease that causes strange malformations is showing up in greater concentrations in this year's canola crop.
The disease is called "aster yellows," and it is caused by something called a phytoplasma - a micro-organism somewhere between a bacteria and a virus.
Penny Pearse, the Provincial Plant Disease Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, says, for the past six years, the incidence of aster yellows has been at trace levels of less than one per cent, but the number will be much higher this year, with some crops experiencing up to 10 per cent infection.
"We have received more reports of aster yellows in canola from both growers and agronomists, and it appears to be quite wide-spread across the province," she noted. "What makes this disease look so unique is that it causes malformations in the plant, so the plants are often taller, discoloured, and have malformed pods and flowers. The infection may look worse than it actually is, since the symptoms are so dramatic, so we recommend that growers do a count of infected and healthy plants to determine the actual incidence value."
Pearse says the phytoplasma causes the disease, but it needs a helping hand.
"A phytoplasma will not survive on its own, so it gets transferred from plant to plant by an insect vector. In this case, the most common vector is the aster leafhopper," she stated.
"When an insect feeds on an infected plant, it will pick up this pathogen and transfer it to healthy plants. So, in a year when we have more leafhoppers, we tend to see more aster yellows."
The damage done by aster yellows is complete and irreversible, with the yield loss dependent on the number of plants affected.
"Most of the diseases we have in Saskatchewan are caused by fungi, which can be controlled through the use of a fungicide. Whereas something like aster yellows, once it is in the plant, there is nothing you can do... the damage is done," Pearse said.
"We don't know a lot about this disease," she said. "Leafhoppers have been found to over-winter in Saskatchewan and can keep the phytoplasma alive from one season to the next. In addition, some of the perennial crops that we grow here - meaning crops with root systems that over-winter - offer a way for the pathogen to over-winter. Crops like echinacea and caraway are also at risk," Pearse stated.
A survey of canola fields was conducted this summer to look at aster yellows and other canola diseases. Aster yellows was present in all surveyed fields, ranging from trace levels to as high as 15 per cent infection. The overall average infection level in 2007 is approximately two per cent, which is similar to 2000's levels. It is likely that this summer's heat amplified the aster yellows symptoms. In addition, the phytoplasma multiplies more quickly in the plant under hot conditions.
For more information, check out the aster yellows fact sheet on the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food website at http://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/. It can be found in the "Production" section under "Disease."
For more information, contact:
Penny Pearse, Provincial Plant Disease Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 787-4671
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Patience crucial for maximizing canola crop
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
It’s a gamble every year, timing out when the canola crop has turned to maximize your yield.
The task might be more difficult than usual this year, but a little patience can pay off with more canola in the bin.
Saskatchewan agronomy specialist David Vanthuyne from the Canola Council of Canada says this growing season will present even more of a challenge than usual. Vanthuyne says growing conditions will see many canola fields mature at different stages, and advises growers to stay off the swather until sufficient seed colour change has occurred in the crop.
The challenge is that crops don’t come with a best before date, or a “time to harvest” indicator, he noted. As a result, averaging out seed colour change on a number of plants in several locations within a given field will be the most profitable approach this year.
“We’ve extended the swathing recommendation window to up to 60 per cent seed colour change from our old recommendation of 30 to 40 per cent,” Vanthuyne said. “Unfortunately, variations in maturity in many areas this year will make determining when to swath more difficult.”
As a result, he adds that proper staging of the crop will be critical.
“Some plants may be at 60 to 70 per cent seed colour change, while others may only be at 20 to 30 per cent seed colour change,” Vanthuyne said. “The trick is to capture as much yield as possible by delaying swathing long enough, avoiding shattering losses, but allowing as much seed colour change as possible on less mature plants.”
When seeds in the bottom half of the plant have changed colour, seeds in the top, or last-formed pods, will be firm and roll between the fingertips. At this stage of maturity, Vanthuyne says the risk of locking in green seed can be minimized.
To be considered sufficiently “colour changed,” green seeds must have at least small patches of colour or spotting. Seeds slowly turn from green to light yellow or reddish-brown to black, depending on the weather and variety. Seed colour change within pods on the main stem will advance about 10 per cent every two to three days under normal environmental conditions.
Under normal growing conditions, sampling the field every two to three days and averaging the percentage of seed colour change will give growers an accurate assessment of the overall maturity of the crop. Plant densities, soil type, topography, variety choice, and weather will affect the rate of seed maturation.
Vanthuyne says it’s a good idea to walk out and sample at least five plants in different areas of the field. Some varieties will show pod colour change long before the seeds do, while the opposite can also hold true. That’s why it is important for producers to check for seed colour change, not pod colour change.
To catch most of the crop at or near the optimum stage, Vanthuyne notes that growers with large acreages may need to start swathing their earliest maturing fields prior to 40 per cent in order to maintain an average seed colour change of 40 to 60 per cent for the bulk of the crop.
Hot, dry and windy weather can also cause rapid seed moisture loss and seed colour change. “We’ve seen seeds on the main stem change from 10 per cent to 50 per cent in just a few days under these conditions,” Vanthuyne cautioned.
“Patience and averaging seed colour change will be the key this year.”
For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Eastern Saskatchewan Agronomy Specialist
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (306) 946-3588
It’s a gamble every year, timing out when the canola crop has turned to maximize your yield.
The task might be more difficult than usual this year, but a little patience can pay off with more canola in the bin.
Saskatchewan agronomy specialist David Vanthuyne from the Canola Council of Canada says this growing season will present even more of a challenge than usual. Vanthuyne says growing conditions will see many canola fields mature at different stages, and advises growers to stay off the swather until sufficient seed colour change has occurred in the crop.
The challenge is that crops don’t come with a best before date, or a “time to harvest” indicator, he noted. As a result, averaging out seed colour change on a number of plants in several locations within a given field will be the most profitable approach this year.
“We’ve extended the swathing recommendation window to up to 60 per cent seed colour change from our old recommendation of 30 to 40 per cent,” Vanthuyne said. “Unfortunately, variations in maturity in many areas this year will make determining when to swath more difficult.”
As a result, he adds that proper staging of the crop will be critical.
“Some plants may be at 60 to 70 per cent seed colour change, while others may only be at 20 to 30 per cent seed colour change,” Vanthuyne said. “The trick is to capture as much yield as possible by delaying swathing long enough, avoiding shattering losses, but allowing as much seed colour change as possible on less mature plants.”
When seeds in the bottom half of the plant have changed colour, seeds in the top, or last-formed pods, will be firm and roll between the fingertips. At this stage of maturity, Vanthuyne says the risk of locking in green seed can be minimized.
To be considered sufficiently “colour changed,” green seeds must have at least small patches of colour or spotting. Seeds slowly turn from green to light yellow or reddish-brown to black, depending on the weather and variety. Seed colour change within pods on the main stem will advance about 10 per cent every two to three days under normal environmental conditions.
Under normal growing conditions, sampling the field every two to three days and averaging the percentage of seed colour change will give growers an accurate assessment of the overall maturity of the crop. Plant densities, soil type, topography, variety choice, and weather will affect the rate of seed maturation.
Vanthuyne says it’s a good idea to walk out and sample at least five plants in different areas of the field. Some varieties will show pod colour change long before the seeds do, while the opposite can also hold true. That’s why it is important for producers to check for seed colour change, not pod colour change.
To catch most of the crop at or near the optimum stage, Vanthuyne notes that growers with large acreages may need to start swathing their earliest maturing fields prior to 40 per cent in order to maintain an average seed colour change of 40 to 60 per cent for the bulk of the crop.
Hot, dry and windy weather can also cause rapid seed moisture loss and seed colour change. “We’ve seen seeds on the main stem change from 10 per cent to 50 per cent in just a few days under these conditions,” Vanthuyne cautioned.
“Patience and averaging seed colour change will be the key this year.”
For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Eastern Saskatchewan Agronomy Specialist
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (306) 946-3588
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The sticker is in the mail
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
There is another good reason for Saskatchewan producers to keep an eye out for a letter from their grain company. It may not be as exciting as a grain cheque, but the “Canola Ready” sticker arriving in the mail could save them a lot of money.
At issue is the insecticide malathion.
Chris Anderson, the Canola Council of Canada’s program manager for crop production, says storage bins treated with malathion can’t be used to store canola for six to 12 months after its application.
“Malathion is most often used for insect control in cereal crops, but it’s not allowed for use in canola. Sometimes farmers treat their bins thinking they will be storing cereals later in the year – but then they store canola, or can’t remember which bin was treated and which bin was not,” Anderson said.
“The sticker we created is a helpful reminder. When they have set aside a bin for canola, they can put the sticker on it so that they can easily identify or remember which one they intended to use for the oilseed.”
The stickers are timely, since it’s the time of year when many producers begin getting the bins ready for the coming harvest. This year has also seen a record number of acres seeded to canola, meaning that there may be some first-time growers of the crop who might not be aware of the strict rules regarding malathion.
A simple oversight can be costly.
Anderson says that malathion residue detected in canola exported out of Canada could cost the industry, including farmers, millions of dollars in lost business.
“Every country sets limits on pesticide residues, and exceeding those limits will result in rejected shipments and increased testing requirements,” he stated. “For example, Japan enforces strict food safety laws that prohibit the entry of any commodity exhibiting pesticide residues above the allowable limit.”
Anderson says most stored canola doesn’t need an insecticide treatment anyway, because insects will not feed on sound, healthy canola seed. “However,” he noted, “if canola is in poor condition, moisture-loving fungus feeders such as foreign grain beetles, psocids and mites will invade.
“The presence of these insects means it is time to condition your canola through aeration or drying; it does not mean it’s time to apply an insecticide such as malathion.”
Anderson says that growers are better off focusing on preventative measures. He says canola that is reasonably free of chaff, other seeds and foreign material should be stored in clean bins and kept below 15 degrees Celsius and eight per cent moisture to keep it free of insects.
For more information, contact:
Chris Anderson, Crop Production Manager
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (204) 982-2108
Website: www.canola-council.org
There is another good reason for Saskatchewan producers to keep an eye out for a letter from their grain company. It may not be as exciting as a grain cheque, but the “Canola Ready” sticker arriving in the mail could save them a lot of money.
At issue is the insecticide malathion.
Chris Anderson, the Canola Council of Canada’s program manager for crop production, says storage bins treated with malathion can’t be used to store canola for six to 12 months after its application.
“Malathion is most often used for insect control in cereal crops, but it’s not allowed for use in canola. Sometimes farmers treat their bins thinking they will be storing cereals later in the year – but then they store canola, or can’t remember which bin was treated and which bin was not,” Anderson said.
“The sticker we created is a helpful reminder. When they have set aside a bin for canola, they can put the sticker on it so that they can easily identify or remember which one they intended to use for the oilseed.”
The stickers are timely, since it’s the time of year when many producers begin getting the bins ready for the coming harvest. This year has also seen a record number of acres seeded to canola, meaning that there may be some first-time growers of the crop who might not be aware of the strict rules regarding malathion.
A simple oversight can be costly.
Anderson says that malathion residue detected in canola exported out of Canada could cost the industry, including farmers, millions of dollars in lost business.
“Every country sets limits on pesticide residues, and exceeding those limits will result in rejected shipments and increased testing requirements,” he stated. “For example, Japan enforces strict food safety laws that prohibit the entry of any commodity exhibiting pesticide residues above the allowable limit.”
Anderson says most stored canola doesn’t need an insecticide treatment anyway, because insects will not feed on sound, healthy canola seed. “However,” he noted, “if canola is in poor condition, moisture-loving fungus feeders such as foreign grain beetles, psocids and mites will invade.
“The presence of these insects means it is time to condition your canola through aeration or drying; it does not mean it’s time to apply an insecticide such as malathion.”
Anderson says that growers are better off focusing on preventative measures. He says canola that is reasonably free of chaff, other seeds and foreign material should be stored in clean bins and kept below 15 degrees Celsius and eight per cent moisture to keep it free of insects.
For more information, contact:
Chris Anderson, Crop Production Manager
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (204) 982-2108
Website: www.canola-council.org
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Are trees the next canola
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
At Prince Albert’s Saskatchewan Forest Centre, the future is one in which we can see the forest, and the trees. The centre is working on research that may one day create an agroforestry industry that parallels our current conventional agriculture sector.
“We are optimistic that there will be new developments which will make trees a viable choice among the options in the farming system,” says SFC Business Development Manager Doug Currie. “It is reminiscent of the evolution of canola or pulse crops. When you look at the acreages in production of those crops today versus where we started, and how long it took, 20 years doesn’t seem like a long time.”
The 20 years Currie refers to is the current production horizon for hybrid poplar, the most common farmed tree species.
“If we could get the 20-year horizon on poplar down to 18 or 15 years, there would be a substantial change in the economics,” says Currie. “The economics we’ve studied suggest that, looking back at the past 25 years, a producer could make more money in poplars than in wheat.”
The Saskatchewan Forest Centre was created as a non-profit corporation in 2001. Its mandate is to promote the acquisition, creation and dissemination of knowledge to expand Saskatchewan’s forest industry in a sustainable fashion.
The centre’s core approach is to create partnerships that allow knowledge and technology to be brought to Saskatchewan and made available to companies and producers in the agroforestry sector. The SFC recently received a $100,000 sustaining grant from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
“We are an organization that is partner-based, and we have leveraged the partner expertise to improve our ability to bring technology here for producers,” says Doug Currie. “Our focus is growing trees on farms, to make money.”
Currie cites partnerships with groups like the University of Saskatchewan, the PFRA, the Saskatchewan Research Council and Ducks Unlimited as the kind of relationships that allow the SFC to foster scientific co-operation and information exchange on agroforestry to the benefit of Saskatchewan.
“We jointly released a strategy on agroforestry with the university,” says Currie. “It outlines the steps we believe have to happen to move the industry forward, including more dedicated research and development programs focused on the commercial aspects of tree production.”
Currie says Saskatchewan enjoys one huge advantage over most jurisdictions looking at commercial tree production: available land mass.
“You’ve got relatively low land costs, and competition for land is less,” says Currie. “Around any given point where a production facility is located, if, within a hour’s drive you plant two per cent of the land to trees, you can support an engineered wood plant. That might mean an industry creating 100 to 200 local jobs.”
In addition to farming trees for wood, new markets are opening up to use agroforestry for the production of biomass to create energy, and as a highly efficient carbon sink for the emerging world trade in carbon credits.
“Trees will sequester the equivalent of as much as five to eight tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year,” says Currie. “The value of that carbon sink could make the difference in the early years of a tree operation by providing some cash flow.”
The Saskatchewan Forestry Centre is currently associated with approximately 50 demonstration sites of tree farming throughout the province.
For more information, contact:
Doug Currie, Business Development Manager
Saskatchewan Forest Centre
Phone: (306) 765-2840
At Prince Albert’s Saskatchewan Forest Centre, the future is one in which we can see the forest, and the trees. The centre is working on research that may one day create an agroforestry industry that parallels our current conventional agriculture sector.
“We are optimistic that there will be new developments which will make trees a viable choice among the options in the farming system,” says SFC Business Development Manager Doug Currie. “It is reminiscent of the evolution of canola or pulse crops. When you look at the acreages in production of those crops today versus where we started, and how long it took, 20 years doesn’t seem like a long time.”
The 20 years Currie refers to is the current production horizon for hybrid poplar, the most common farmed tree species.
“If we could get the 20-year horizon on poplar down to 18 or 15 years, there would be a substantial change in the economics,” says Currie. “The economics we’ve studied suggest that, looking back at the past 25 years, a producer could make more money in poplars than in wheat.”
The Saskatchewan Forest Centre was created as a non-profit corporation in 2001. Its mandate is to promote the acquisition, creation and dissemination of knowledge to expand Saskatchewan’s forest industry in a sustainable fashion.
The centre’s core approach is to create partnerships that allow knowledge and technology to be brought to Saskatchewan and made available to companies and producers in the agroforestry sector. The SFC recently received a $100,000 sustaining grant from Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food.
“We are an organization that is partner-based, and we have leveraged the partner expertise to improve our ability to bring technology here for producers,” says Doug Currie. “Our focus is growing trees on farms, to make money.”
Currie cites partnerships with groups like the University of Saskatchewan, the PFRA, the Saskatchewan Research Council and Ducks Unlimited as the kind of relationships that allow the SFC to foster scientific co-operation and information exchange on agroforestry to the benefit of Saskatchewan.
“We jointly released a strategy on agroforestry with the university,” says Currie. “It outlines the steps we believe have to happen to move the industry forward, including more dedicated research and development programs focused on the commercial aspects of tree production.”
Currie says Saskatchewan enjoys one huge advantage over most jurisdictions looking at commercial tree production: available land mass.
“You’ve got relatively low land costs, and competition for land is less,” says Currie. “Around any given point where a production facility is located, if, within a hour’s drive you plant two per cent of the land to trees, you can support an engineered wood plant. That might mean an industry creating 100 to 200 local jobs.”
In addition to farming trees for wood, new markets are opening up to use agroforestry for the production of biomass to create energy, and as a highly efficient carbon sink for the emerging world trade in carbon credits.
“Trees will sequester the equivalent of as much as five to eight tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year,” says Currie. “The value of that carbon sink could make the difference in the early years of a tree operation by providing some cash flow.”
The Saskatchewan Forestry Centre is currently associated with approximately 50 demonstration sites of tree farming throughout the province.
For more information, contact:
Doug Currie, Business Development Manager
Saskatchewan Forest Centre
Phone: (306) 765-2840
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Canola powers Saskatoon transit system
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
After a two-year test project, the Saskatoon Transit System has decided to convert all of its buses to biodiesel fuel created with Saskatchewan canola oil. Effective this summer, all 112 buses in the fleet are running on a one percent blend of canola oil and diesel. Saskatoon Transit Manager Jeff Balon says they began exploring the conversion out of concern for the environment.
“At Saskatoon Transit, we pride ourselves on being stewards of the environment,” says Balon. “We realize that conventional diesel is not a renewable resource. There are some products out there that were worthwhile exploring.”
The initial study was funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission and the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Over a two-year period, a team headed by University of Saskatchewan engineering professor Barry Hertz studied the impact of using biodiesel in four City of Saskatoon buses.
The study concluded that, over the two-year period, using biodiesel instead of conventional diesel had reduced fuel consumption by three per cent, reduced engine wear on the test buses by 20 per cent, and provided a seven percent decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the buses.
Transit buses are very long-running vehicles, expected to log close to 1,000,000 kilometres during their operating life. A major overhaul of a bus motor costs an estimated $30,000, so the engine wear reduction is seen as an important means to reduce maintenance.
“The biodiesel provides extra lubricity for the engines and reduces engine wear, a major cost item for us,” says Jeff Balon. “All around, it’s a no-brainer; it’s a big winner for us.”
Saskatoon becomes the first jurisdiction in North America to convert its entire transit bus fleet to biodiesel, and they’ve sparked the interest of transit systems in Regina and Edmonton, as well as the Canadian Urban Transit Association, the national group representing all transit systems in Canada.
It’s no accident that the biodiesel being used in Saskatoon buses is supplied by Milligan Bio-Tech, based in Foam Lake.
“We always look for local suppliers,” says Jeff Balon. “Why wouldn’t we support our own farmers and industry?”
With the initial study in the books and the decision made to go one percent biodiesel, what’s next?
A further study to test a five-per-cent blend in four new buses.
“We’ve ordered two hybrid diesel-electric buses and two brand new conventional 40-foot diesel buses, to compare the use of the five-per-cent blend,” says Balon.
The latest study will take about a year, before a decision is made about increasing the biodiesel blend for the entire fleet.
For more information, contact:
Jeff Balon, Manager
Saskatoon Transit
Phone: (306)975-2630
E-mail: jeff.balon@saskatoon.ca
Website: www.saskatoon.ca
After a two-year test project, the Saskatoon Transit System has decided to convert all of its buses to biodiesel fuel created with Saskatchewan canola oil. Effective this summer, all 112 buses in the fleet are running on a one percent blend of canola oil and diesel. Saskatoon Transit Manager Jeff Balon says they began exploring the conversion out of concern for the environment.
“At Saskatoon Transit, we pride ourselves on being stewards of the environment,” says Balon. “We realize that conventional diesel is not a renewable resource. There are some products out there that were worthwhile exploring.”
The initial study was funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission and the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Over a two-year period, a team headed by University of Saskatchewan engineering professor Barry Hertz studied the impact of using biodiesel in four City of Saskatoon buses.
The study concluded that, over the two-year period, using biodiesel instead of conventional diesel had reduced fuel consumption by three per cent, reduced engine wear on the test buses by 20 per cent, and provided a seven percent decrease in the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by the buses.
Transit buses are very long-running vehicles, expected to log close to 1,000,000 kilometres during their operating life. A major overhaul of a bus motor costs an estimated $30,000, so the engine wear reduction is seen as an important means to reduce maintenance.
“The biodiesel provides extra lubricity for the engines and reduces engine wear, a major cost item for us,” says Jeff Balon. “All around, it’s a no-brainer; it’s a big winner for us.”
Saskatoon becomes the first jurisdiction in North America to convert its entire transit bus fleet to biodiesel, and they’ve sparked the interest of transit systems in Regina and Edmonton, as well as the Canadian Urban Transit Association, the national group representing all transit systems in Canada.
It’s no accident that the biodiesel being used in Saskatoon buses is supplied by Milligan Bio-Tech, based in Foam Lake.
“We always look for local suppliers,” says Jeff Balon. “Why wouldn’t we support our own farmers and industry?”
With the initial study in the books and the decision made to go one percent biodiesel, what’s next?
A further study to test a five-per-cent blend in four new buses.
“We’ve ordered two hybrid diesel-electric buses and two brand new conventional 40-foot diesel buses, to compare the use of the five-per-cent blend,” says Balon.
The latest study will take about a year, before a decision is made about increasing the biodiesel blend for the entire fleet.
For more information, contact:
Jeff Balon, Manager
Saskatoon Transit
Phone: (306)975-2630
E-mail: jeff.balon@saskatoon.ca
Website: www.saskatoon.ca
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Grant ensures testing of newest grain crop varieties
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Saskatchewan producers will again have the opportunity to evaluate and compare the newest grain varieties for production on their farms.
This opportunity is made possible by an industry/government partnership. For the third year, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) has provided the partnership with a $100,000 grant.
An entry fee system is then used in which variety owners or companies with the distribution rights to a particular variety pay a portion of the cost of having the variety tested. The Saskatchewan Seed Growers Association (SSGA) also makes a financial contribution to the program.
The committee that administers the program is the Saskatchewan Variety Performance Group (SVPG). The committee is composed of representatives from organizations with an interest in providing variety testing information. Public and private research institutions conduct the testing and compile the data.
“The program creates a database providing producers with independent, comparative information on the varieties they grow,” says Blaine Recksiedler, the Cereal and Organic Crops Specialist with SAF. “The published results, including data from the co-op trials (pre-registration), present information on yield and agronomics and on certain market-related traits valuable to producers. Comparisons are made to a commonly grown check variety.”
“It has been indicated that producers value third-party variety testing as an important source of information when making cropping decisions,” added Recksiedler.
Testing requires several steps. First, trials are conducted using uniform protocols and standard check varieties. Second, data are collected from as many sites as are available and statistically analyzed. Third, results are aggregated over a number of years and on an area basis.
Variety trials are designed to measure the yield differences that are due to genetic causes while minimizing variability due to non-genetic factors such as moisture, temperature, transpiration, weeds, diseases and pests.
SeCan Association will administer the funding for SVPG. As well, crop co-ordinators will manage the data and provide expertise in their respective crops.
The results of the testing are then reviewed by the Council on Grain Crops, which also updates disease and other agronomic information, and approves the data prior to publication.
Producers will be able to access this information in early January during Crop Production Week in the Varieties of Grain Crops publication, which is also found in SaskSeed, the SSGA’s seed guide.
Crops in the SVPG program include wheat, barley, oats and flax; however, the SAF grant also provides support to organizations that are testing other crop varieties, including canola, pulses, winter wheat, sunflowers and canary seed. Variety information for these crops is also provided in the Varieties of Grain Crops.
For more information, contact:
Blaine Recksiedler, Cereal and Organic Crops Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 787-4664
E-mail: brecksiedler@agr.gov.sk.ca
Saskatchewan producers will again have the opportunity to evaluate and compare the newest grain varieties for production on their farms.
This opportunity is made possible by an industry/government partnership. For the third year, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF) has provided the partnership with a $100,000 grant.
An entry fee system is then used in which variety owners or companies with the distribution rights to a particular variety pay a portion of the cost of having the variety tested. The Saskatchewan Seed Growers Association (SSGA) also makes a financial contribution to the program.
The committee that administers the program is the Saskatchewan Variety Performance Group (SVPG). The committee is composed of representatives from organizations with an interest in providing variety testing information. Public and private research institutions conduct the testing and compile the data.
“The program creates a database providing producers with independent, comparative information on the varieties they grow,” says Blaine Recksiedler, the Cereal and Organic Crops Specialist with SAF. “The published results, including data from the co-op trials (pre-registration), present information on yield and agronomics and on certain market-related traits valuable to producers. Comparisons are made to a commonly grown check variety.”
“It has been indicated that producers value third-party variety testing as an important source of information when making cropping decisions,” added Recksiedler.
Testing requires several steps. First, trials are conducted using uniform protocols and standard check varieties. Second, data are collected from as many sites as are available and statistically analyzed. Third, results are aggregated over a number of years and on an area basis.
Variety trials are designed to measure the yield differences that are due to genetic causes while minimizing variability due to non-genetic factors such as moisture, temperature, transpiration, weeds, diseases and pests.
SeCan Association will administer the funding for SVPG. As well, crop co-ordinators will manage the data and provide expertise in their respective crops.
The results of the testing are then reviewed by the Council on Grain Crops, which also updates disease and other agronomic information, and approves the data prior to publication.
Producers will be able to access this information in early January during Crop Production Week in the Varieties of Grain Crops publication, which is also found in SaskSeed, the SSGA’s seed guide.
Crops in the SVPG program include wheat, barley, oats and flax; however, the SAF grant also provides support to organizations that are testing other crop varieties, including canola, pulses, winter wheat, sunflowers and canary seed. Variety information for these crops is also provided in the Varieties of Grain Crops.
For more information, contact:
Blaine Recksiedler, Cereal and Organic Crops Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 787-4664
E-mail: brecksiedler@agr.gov.sk.ca
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I canola ready for the crown?
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Wheat may still be king on the Prairies, but a new prince is vying for the crown.
This year, Saskatchewan farmers seeded a record numbers of acres of canola. Statistics Canada has revealed that 7.2 million acres of the oilseed are in the ground. That’s an increase of 20 per cent from last year.
The trend is similar across the rest of the Prairies, with over 14.5 million acres of canola seeded in all three provinces – an increase of 17 per cent.
At the same time, spring wheat acreage on the Prairies dropped 19 per cent to 14.8 million acres. It is the lowest level since 1970, but still just enough for spring wheat to keep the title for the biggest crop on the Prairies.
But for how long?
Darin Egert, the president of the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association, says the increase is welcome news to crop advocates who have been working hard to boost its production.
“The Canola Council of Canada rolled out a program where they wanted to significantly increase the amount of canola being grown. This is a good step towards that goal,” he stated.
The Canola Council of Canada has set a target of boosting annual production from 9.1 million tonnes in 2006 to 15 million tonnes by 2015.
Egert says consumers are helping to drive the amount of canola acres seeded each year.
“Producers are responding to the market demand. Part of it is food demand, but the biodiesel industry is also starting to grow. To fill that market, we are going to have to increase production,” he noted.
A big jump in production this year could put downward pressure on the price, but Egert predicts the dip won’t be serious.
“It may hurt the price in the short term, but we’re hoping to build more and more markets, so that it’s not an issue,” he said. “I’m confident those markets will be there. The futures market is pretty strong right now, even with the record number of acres that went in this year.”
Egert says both the marketing and production side of the equation may be benefiting from canola’s new high profile.
“There has been a lot of attention to canola. The trans fat issue is an example, where large fast food companies are adopting canola, or in New York, where the city banned trans fats. Canola has been in the news quite a bit,” he stated.
With both foreign and domestic demand for biofuels increasing, Egert and others are predicting that more and more producers will be putting canola in their rotations.
“I think the amount of acres seeded is going to keep going up. I can’t see the record being broken every year—there are going to be some ups and some downs based on market and crop rotation—but I do think the acreages will increase,” he said.
Moreover, not only is the popularity of the crop expanding, but so too is its capability. “Canola is grown in areas now that haven’t had much production in the past. The Rosetown area, for instance, has seen some significant increases,” Egert noted. “With the different varieties that are now available, you are able to grow canola under many different conditions.”
For more information, contact:
Darin Egert, President
Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association
Phone: (306) 937-2005
Wheat may still be king on the Prairies, but a new prince is vying for the crown.
This year, Saskatchewan farmers seeded a record numbers of acres of canola. Statistics Canada has revealed that 7.2 million acres of the oilseed are in the ground. That’s an increase of 20 per cent from last year.
The trend is similar across the rest of the Prairies, with over 14.5 million acres of canola seeded in all three provinces – an increase of 17 per cent.
At the same time, spring wheat acreage on the Prairies dropped 19 per cent to 14.8 million acres. It is the lowest level since 1970, but still just enough for spring wheat to keep the title for the biggest crop on the Prairies.
But for how long?
Darin Egert, the president of the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association, says the increase is welcome news to crop advocates who have been working hard to boost its production.
“The Canola Council of Canada rolled out a program where they wanted to significantly increase the amount of canola being grown. This is a good step towards that goal,” he stated.
The Canola Council of Canada has set a target of boosting annual production from 9.1 million tonnes in 2006 to 15 million tonnes by 2015.
Egert says consumers are helping to drive the amount of canola acres seeded each year.
“Producers are responding to the market demand. Part of it is food demand, but the biodiesel industry is also starting to grow. To fill that market, we are going to have to increase production,” he noted.
A big jump in production this year could put downward pressure on the price, but Egert predicts the dip won’t be serious.
“It may hurt the price in the short term, but we’re hoping to build more and more markets, so that it’s not an issue,” he said. “I’m confident those markets will be there. The futures market is pretty strong right now, even with the record number of acres that went in this year.”
Egert says both the marketing and production side of the equation may be benefiting from canola’s new high profile.
“There has been a lot of attention to canola. The trans fat issue is an example, where large fast food companies are adopting canola, or in New York, where the city banned trans fats. Canola has been in the news quite a bit,” he stated.
With both foreign and domestic demand for biofuels increasing, Egert and others are predicting that more and more producers will be putting canola in their rotations.
“I think the amount of acres seeded is going to keep going up. I can’t see the record being broken every year—there are going to be some ups and some downs based on market and crop rotation—but I do think the acreages will increase,” he said.
Moreover, not only is the popularity of the crop expanding, but so too is its capability. “Canola is grown in areas now that haven’t had much production in the past. The Rosetown area, for instance, has seen some significant increases,” Egert noted. “With the different varieties that are now available, you are able to grow canola under many different conditions.”
For more information, contact:
Darin Egert, President
Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association
Phone: (306) 937-2005
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On the lookout for Bertha
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
In war, battles can be won or lost based on the quality of the intelligence about the enemy. Knowing your enemy’s position and strength can be a huge advantage.
Saskatchewan canola producers will have that advantage this year when it comes to a costly pest – the Bertha Armyworm.
Dale Risula, Integrated Cropping Management Systems Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, says there are a lot more people participating in the provincial monitoring program this year. This program monitors adult moths emerging from their pupae. The monitors use pheromone traps to catch the moths as they emerge from the soil.
“The number of people who are monitoring for us is up by 50 per cent, so that’s a pretty good indicator that there was some concern about this problem because of last year’s fairly wide-spread impact on canola growers,” Risula said.
Last year was a particularly bad year for the Bertha Armyworm, with significant crop damage in the northeast and east-central parts of the province.
Risula says the more monitors they have, the better the intelligence that is gathered.
“You get a better indication of where the outbreaks are taking place and a better representative sample of the moth counts that are out there,” he stated. “That will give us a better idea of what might take place this year, because it seems as though the moth count corresponds with the outbreak of worms. All of those things will add to the accuracy and understanding the intensity of any particular outbreak that might take place.”
A map of armyworm hotspots is prepared by SAF from the data collected by the monitors. This gives an early warning to producers in areas of potentially high risk. Knowing that information can help in many ways. For example, chemical companies will be able to have insecticide readily available in particular areas where an outbreak is likely.
“It’s important that people are aware of these pests when they show up, and then properly assess the numbers on a field-by-field basis to determine whether or not action needs to take place. Spraying for the sake of spraying may be more costly than beneficial.”
Of course, Mother Nature herself may help win the battle before the war begins. Risula points out that there are a number of environmental and biological factors that could dramatically cut armyworm numbers either before or after they emerge.
“The worms are subject to different types of predators, parasites and disease that are out there. In particular, there is a type of fungus that affects the larva. If that fungus happened to be fairly severe last year, in the worm population nearing the end of the season, then it could be that the outbreak is reduced,” he noted.
“The other factor is the survival rate of the pupae over winter. A cold winter and a lack of snow cover could reduce the number of moths that emerge.”
Risula says that the intelligence being gathered through the monitoring program should soon reveal what producers will be up against.
More information on Berth Armyworm moth counts and risk map is available on the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food website at www.agr.gov.sk.ca.
For more information, contact:
Dale Risula, Integrated Cropping Management Systems Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 694-3714
E-mail: drisula@agr.gov.sk.ca
In war, battles can be won or lost based on the quality of the intelligence about the enemy. Knowing your enemy’s position and strength can be a huge advantage.
Saskatchewan canola producers will have that advantage this year when it comes to a costly pest – the Bertha Armyworm.
Dale Risula, Integrated Cropping Management Systems Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, says there are a lot more people participating in the provincial monitoring program this year. This program monitors adult moths emerging from their pupae. The monitors use pheromone traps to catch the moths as they emerge from the soil.
“The number of people who are monitoring for us is up by 50 per cent, so that’s a pretty good indicator that there was some concern about this problem because of last year’s fairly wide-spread impact on canola growers,” Risula said.
Last year was a particularly bad year for the Bertha Armyworm, with significant crop damage in the northeast and east-central parts of the province.
Risula says the more monitors they have, the better the intelligence that is gathered.
“You get a better indication of where the outbreaks are taking place and a better representative sample of the moth counts that are out there,” he stated. “That will give us a better idea of what might take place this year, because it seems as though the moth count corresponds with the outbreak of worms. All of those things will add to the accuracy and understanding the intensity of any particular outbreak that might take place.”
A map of armyworm hotspots is prepared by SAF from the data collected by the monitors. This gives an early warning to producers in areas of potentially high risk. Knowing that information can help in many ways. For example, chemical companies will be able to have insecticide readily available in particular areas where an outbreak is likely.
“It’s important that people are aware of these pests when they show up, and then properly assess the numbers on a field-by-field basis to determine whether or not action needs to take place. Spraying for the sake of spraying may be more costly than beneficial.”
Of course, Mother Nature herself may help win the battle before the war begins. Risula points out that there are a number of environmental and biological factors that could dramatically cut armyworm numbers either before or after they emerge.
“The worms are subject to different types of predators, parasites and disease that are out there. In particular, there is a type of fungus that affects the larva. If that fungus happened to be fairly severe last year, in the worm population nearing the end of the season, then it could be that the outbreak is reduced,” he noted.
“The other factor is the survival rate of the pupae over winter. A cold winter and a lack of snow cover could reduce the number of moths that emerge.”
Risula says that the intelligence being gathered through the monitoring program should soon reveal what producers will be up against.
More information on Berth Armyworm moth counts and risk map is available on the Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food website at www.agr.gov.sk.ca.
For more information, contact:
Dale Risula, Integrated Cropping Management Systems Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 694-3714
E-mail: drisula@agr.gov.sk.ca
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An $80-mission investment in Saskatchewan's future
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The Government of Saskatchewan recently announced that it was investing up to $80 million to assist producers and communities in the construction and expansion of transportation ethanol or biodiesel (biofuels) production facilities in Saskatchewan.
As a result of the province's interest in further developing the bio-fuels industry, the Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity (SaskBIO) Program was born.
SaskBIO's timeframe is set to span four years and provide repayable contributions of up to $10 million per project. An additional $2 million per year will also be provided for biofuels and bio-products research and development.
"We were the first province in the country to mandate ethanol use, and we took the lead on the production of biofuels several years ago," said Ken Magnus, Manager of Strategic Projects with Saskatchewan Regional Economic and Co-operative Development. "Now that the provincial industry is producing enough ethanol to meet our 7.5-per-cent-blend provincial mandate, the next phase-SaskBIO-is to help producers expand into the national market."
Magnus says momentum has been building for biofuel use on a national basis. "Hopefully there will be a mandate or standard for biofuels on a national scale in the near future."
It is felt that the industry has tremendous growth potential to supply provincial, national and export sales. "We want to keep our eye on the ball to make sure that we have the opportunity for Saskatchewan's production to fill the void that now exists," Magnus stated.
SaskBIO was created to provide an opportunity for farmers and communities to participate in the value-added biofuels industry in Saskatchewan through investment ownership in biofuel facilities.
Furthermore, the program will ensure that Saskatchewan is an attractive jurisdiction in which to build a sustainable biofuels industry.
Corporations, individuals or partnerships are eligible to apply for funding. However, applicants must meet a couple of requirements. First, applicants must have a minimum of five per cent farmer/community investment. Second, the minimum annual production capacity of a new facility, or the increased capacity of an existing facility, must be at least two million litres per year.
"One of SaskBIO's goals is to create a situation where a higher level of local ownership becomes an incentive to access the program," Magnus said. "Therefore, production facilities will be owned by Saskatchewan people."
The expansion of the biofuels industry in Saskatchewan is expected to create more jobs and economic spin-offs, develop new markets for agricultural producers, decrease impact on the environment, and create new opportunities for the provincial research community.
Magnus adds that these benefits will extend well beyond the farm gate. "The province's target is to be producing one billion litres of ethanol and 400 million litres of biodiesel per year by 2015. If we can achieve that goal, it will certainly be a huge boost for the economy, generating both urban and rural opportunities province-wide," he said.
Magnus believes this is a unique opportunity where Saskatchewan is in the right place at the right time. "If you look at what is going on globally, production of renewable fuels is real and it is on. Here we have almost half of the arable land in the country. Therefore, we produce nearly half of the feedstock for biofuels, mostly wheat and canola," he stated.
"So if Saskatchewan has an opportunity to be a player in that marketplace, which we certainly do because of our natural advantages, we should take advantage of it. Whether it is an ethanol plant or a widget factory, any time you end up with an industry that grows in your province and that will exceed a billion dollars worth of investment, that's a good thing."
For more information, contact:
Ken Magnus, Manager of Strategic Projects
Saskatchewan Regional Economic and Co-operative Development
Phone: (306) 787-4484
E-mail: ken.magnus@gov.sk.ca
The Government of Saskatchewan recently announced that it was investing up to $80 million to assist producers and communities in the construction and expansion of transportation ethanol or biodiesel (biofuels) production facilities in Saskatchewan.
As a result of the province's interest in further developing the bio-fuels industry, the Saskatchewan Biofuels Investment Opportunity (SaskBIO) Program was born.
SaskBIO's timeframe is set to span four years and provide repayable contributions of up to $10 million per project. An additional $2 million per year will also be provided for biofuels and bio-products research and development.
"We were the first province in the country to mandate ethanol use, and we took the lead on the production of biofuels several years ago," said Ken Magnus, Manager of Strategic Projects with Saskatchewan Regional Economic and Co-operative Development. "Now that the provincial industry is producing enough ethanol to meet our 7.5-per-cent-blend provincial mandate, the next phase-SaskBIO-is to help producers expand into the national market."
Magnus says momentum has been building for biofuel use on a national basis. "Hopefully there will be a mandate or standard for biofuels on a national scale in the near future."
It is felt that the industry has tremendous growth potential to supply provincial, national and export sales. "We want to keep our eye on the ball to make sure that we have the opportunity for Saskatchewan's production to fill the void that now exists," Magnus stated.
SaskBIO was created to provide an opportunity for farmers and communities to participate in the value-added biofuels industry in Saskatchewan through investment ownership in biofuel facilities.
Furthermore, the program will ensure that Saskatchewan is an attractive jurisdiction in which to build a sustainable biofuels industry.
Corporations, individuals or partnerships are eligible to apply for funding. However, applicants must meet a couple of requirements. First, applicants must have a minimum of five per cent farmer/community investment. Second, the minimum annual production capacity of a new facility, or the increased capacity of an existing facility, must be at least two million litres per year.
"One of SaskBIO's goals is to create a situation where a higher level of local ownership becomes an incentive to access the program," Magnus said. "Therefore, production facilities will be owned by Saskatchewan people."
The expansion of the biofuels industry in Saskatchewan is expected to create more jobs and economic spin-offs, develop new markets for agricultural producers, decrease impact on the environment, and create new opportunities for the provincial research community.
Magnus adds that these benefits will extend well beyond the farm gate. "The province's target is to be producing one billion litres of ethanol and 400 million litres of biodiesel per year by 2015. If we can achieve that goal, it will certainly be a huge boost for the economy, generating both urban and rural opportunities province-wide," he said.
Magnus believes this is a unique opportunity where Saskatchewan is in the right place at the right time. "If you look at what is going on globally, production of renewable fuels is real and it is on. Here we have almost half of the arable land in the country. Therefore, we produce nearly half of the feedstock for biofuels, mostly wheat and canola," he stated.
"So if Saskatchewan has an opportunity to be a player in that marketplace, which we certainly do because of our natural advantages, we should take advantage of it. Whether it is an ethanol plant or a widget factory, any time you end up with an industry that grows in your province and that will exceed a billion dollars worth of investment, that's a good thing."
For more information, contact:
Ken Magnus, Manager of Strategic Projects
Saskatchewan Regional Economic and Co-operative Development
Phone: (306) 787-4484
E-mail: ken.magnus@gov.sk.ca
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Think of bees before you spray
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
As pesticide spraying hits full swing in Saskatchewan, an expert in apiculture is reminding producers to keep pollinators in mind before they spray.
While Saskatchewan has not seen the kind of bee colony collapses that have impacted bee keepers in other provinces and U.S. states, the damage from insecticide application can take a toll on both honey production and pollination benefits.
Apiculturist John Gruszka with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food says timing is a big factor.
“We are most concerned about pesticide application in July and August, when our honey crop is being produced and our colonies are at maximum population,” he said. “To lose those insects will have a direct and severe impact on honey production.”
Gruszka says the resulting loss in production is worse than most would think.
“If the damage is severe enough, you may lose the entire field population, and it will be two weeks before the next bees are ready to take over. If this happens in the middle of July, you have lost potentially 50 or 60 pounds of honey production, and that is significant,” he noted.
Gruszka concedes farmers have to be able to control pests as the need arises, but a few simple adjustments can help limit the risk of accidentally killing bees.
“What farmers can do is spray late in the evening or early in the morning when the majority of the bees are in the hive. They can also use insecticides that have the least residuals. The worst, of course, is when spraying takes place in the middle of the afternoon.
It is important to talk to the beekeeper if you anticipate the need to carry out control measures for crop insect pests. With some advance warning, the beekeeper can work with the crop producer to minimize damage to the bee operation.
Saskatchewan produces some of the highest quality honey in the world. The province’s northern location and long, warm summer days, coupled with its skilled bee keepers, help to produce more honey per hive than any jurisdiction in Canada.
The province has about 1400 beekeepers and approximately 100,000 hives. On average the Province produces about 18.5 million pounds of honey annually.
In addition to honey production, the bee industry is important for pollination of flowering crops whether that is a crop like canola or specialty crops like borage, fruit and vegetables.
For more information, contact:
John Gruszka, Provincial Specialist – Apiculture
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 953-2790
E-mail: jgruszka@agr.gov.sk.ca
As pesticide spraying hits full swing in Saskatchewan, an expert in apiculture is reminding producers to keep pollinators in mind before they spray.
While Saskatchewan has not seen the kind of bee colony collapses that have impacted bee keepers in other provinces and U.S. states, the damage from insecticide application can take a toll on both honey production and pollination benefits.
Apiculturist John Gruszka with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food says timing is a big factor.
“We are most concerned about pesticide application in July and August, when our honey crop is being produced and our colonies are at maximum population,” he said. “To lose those insects will have a direct and severe impact on honey production.”
Gruszka says the resulting loss in production is worse than most would think.
“If the damage is severe enough, you may lose the entire field population, and it will be two weeks before the next bees are ready to take over. If this happens in the middle of July, you have lost potentially 50 or 60 pounds of honey production, and that is significant,” he noted.
Gruszka concedes farmers have to be able to control pests as the need arises, but a few simple adjustments can help limit the risk of accidentally killing bees.
“What farmers can do is spray late in the evening or early in the morning when the majority of the bees are in the hive. They can also use insecticides that have the least residuals. The worst, of course, is when spraying takes place in the middle of the afternoon.
It is important to talk to the beekeeper if you anticipate the need to carry out control measures for crop insect pests. With some advance warning, the beekeeper can work with the crop producer to minimize damage to the bee operation.
Saskatchewan produces some of the highest quality honey in the world. The province’s northern location and long, warm summer days, coupled with its skilled bee keepers, help to produce more honey per hive than any jurisdiction in Canada.
The province has about 1400 beekeepers and approximately 100,000 hives. On average the Province produces about 18.5 million pounds of honey annually.
In addition to honey production, the bee industry is important for pollination of flowering crops whether that is a crop like canola or specialty crops like borage, fruit and vegetables.
For more information, contact:
John Gruszka, Provincial Specialist – Apiculture
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 953-2790
E-mail: jgruszka@agr.gov.sk.ca
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New paint job part of maintenance for grain car fleet
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The recently announced repainting program for grain hopper cars owned by the Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation (SGCC) is one part of a multi-phase refurbishment plan aimed at keeping the cars operational for the balance of their useful life span, about another 24 years.
The SGCC was set up in the early 1980s after a shortage of grain cars ended up costing Canada some international sales. At that time 1,000 new grain hopper cars were built by the Government of Saskatchewan. The federal government and Government of Alberta also contributed new cars to the fleet.
According to SGCC Vice President of Operations Kelly Moskowy, the refurbishment program came about after sample inspections of the fleet by AllTranstek, a railway consulting company from Chicago.
“They inspected about 12 per cent of our fleet,” Moskowy said. “One of the recommendations that came out is that our cars need to be repainted because of corrosion.”
The first phase of refurbishment actually began last year when metal fatigue cracks in the cars were repaired.
“That upgraded our cars from a 260,000-pound gross rail load to 286,000 pounds, allowing us to load an additional 1,000 tonnes of grain on an average 100-car train,” he noted.
The repainting program will comprise about 100 grain hopper cars per year, which Moskowy says is roughly the maximum that can be done here.
“Since these cars are owned by the taxpayers of Saskatchewan, we want to paint them in Saskatchewan,” he said. “There are only two painting companies that do rail cars in the province, and between the two of them, that’s all they can handle given their other commitments.”
The main contractors are GE in Regina and Arco Graphics in Saskatoon. It will take approximately eight or nine years to repaint all the cars in the fleet.
The final phase of fleet refurbishment will take place between now and 2014, when all cars must have automatic slack adjusters installed on their braking systems to comply with new North American standards for rolling stock.
When the SGCC cars are used to move grain to the ports of Churchill, Thunder Bay, Vancouver or Prince Rupert, there is no lease charge included in the freight fees. As a result, it is estimated the fleet has saved producers $50 to $60 million in freight charges since 1981.
The new look for the cars is a background of what is called “Roughrider green,” Saskatchewan’s official flower, the prairie lily, a yellow stroke emblematic of wheat or canola fields, and the word “Saskatchewan.”
Moskowy notes that the new design “is a great way to promote our province across Canada and into the United States.”
He says the new colour scheme is actually about $1,500 per car cheaper to produce than the original paint job.
For more information contact:
Kelly Moskowy, Vice President of Operations
Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation
Phone: (306) 787-0551
E-mail: kmoskowy@sgcc.gov.sk.ca
The recently announced repainting program for grain hopper cars owned by the Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation (SGCC) is one part of a multi-phase refurbishment plan aimed at keeping the cars operational for the balance of their useful life span, about another 24 years.
The SGCC was set up in the early 1980s after a shortage of grain cars ended up costing Canada some international sales. At that time 1,000 new grain hopper cars were built by the Government of Saskatchewan. The federal government and Government of Alberta also contributed new cars to the fleet.
According to SGCC Vice President of Operations Kelly Moskowy, the refurbishment program came about after sample inspections of the fleet by AllTranstek, a railway consulting company from Chicago.
“They inspected about 12 per cent of our fleet,” Moskowy said. “One of the recommendations that came out is that our cars need to be repainted because of corrosion.”
The first phase of refurbishment actually began last year when metal fatigue cracks in the cars were repaired.
“That upgraded our cars from a 260,000-pound gross rail load to 286,000 pounds, allowing us to load an additional 1,000 tonnes of grain on an average 100-car train,” he noted.
The repainting program will comprise about 100 grain hopper cars per year, which Moskowy says is roughly the maximum that can be done here.
“Since these cars are owned by the taxpayers of Saskatchewan, we want to paint them in Saskatchewan,” he said. “There are only two painting companies that do rail cars in the province, and between the two of them, that’s all they can handle given their other commitments.”
The main contractors are GE in Regina and Arco Graphics in Saskatoon. It will take approximately eight or nine years to repaint all the cars in the fleet.
The final phase of fleet refurbishment will take place between now and 2014, when all cars must have automatic slack adjusters installed on their braking systems to comply with new North American standards for rolling stock.
When the SGCC cars are used to move grain to the ports of Churchill, Thunder Bay, Vancouver or Prince Rupert, there is no lease charge included in the freight fees. As a result, it is estimated the fleet has saved producers $50 to $60 million in freight charges since 1981.
The new look for the cars is a background of what is called “Roughrider green,” Saskatchewan’s official flower, the prairie lily, a yellow stroke emblematic of wheat or canola fields, and the word “Saskatchewan.”
Moskowy notes that the new design “is a great way to promote our province across Canada and into the United States.”
He says the new colour scheme is actually about $1,500 per car cheaper to produce than the original paint job.
For more information contact:
Kelly Moskowy, Vice President of Operations
Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation
Phone: (306) 787-0551
E-mail: kmoskowy@sgcc.gov.sk.ca
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Rising temperatures put stored canola at risk
Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Spring is finally here. But as we are enjoying the beautiful weather, the rising temperatures could be proving detrimental to producers with stored canola.
As temperatures start to climb, spoilage and damage of stored canola can also increase, resulting in lost efforts and revenue.
"We have had a fair amount of damaged seed coming in through the course of this winter to both elevators and crushers. That is in part a reflection of what happened last fall, as well as older seed that producers continued to put into the system," stated David Vanthuyne, an agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada.
"There was a report of a bin, approximately 10,000 bushels in size, that came in with over 80 per cent damage. That bin was essentially worth nothing," Vanthuyne said.
Some producers turned their canola or aerated it in November or December to get the core temperature down to zero. With temperatures back on the rise, the Canola Council advises that it is now important to bring that core temperature back up to 10 degrees Celsius.
According to Vanthuyne, "This will ensure that, over the summer months, the temperature in the core and the outside of the bin is closer together. That way, producers can avoid that variation of temperature within the bin which increases the risk of spoilage."
Some producers may have had an area of canola within their bin that was just on the verge of being too warm going into storage, but held stable. Vanthuyne says that, as the temperature on the outside of the bin increases, hot air travels up the sides of the bin and down through the core. Those areas might now be prone to increasing temperatures that can cause spoilage, such as mould, to continue.
"The process of conditioning is important, since it allows producers to get some air movement into their canola bins through simply turning their canola or aerating, whatever the case may be. That equalizes the temperature and prevents spoilage," he said. "Conditioning is just a natural process of canola."
Coming into the spring, Vanthuyne points out there is no definite timeline of how long it will take for damage to begin occurring. But producers should be cautious of the ways in which damage can potentially occur and the risks associated with it.
"Throughout the month of May, we are advising growers to turn on their fans for a few days to try to equalize the temperatures within the bins."
Vanthuyne says the best way to measure the current temperature of stored canola is to pull out part of the load and take a sample. If they have temperature sensors within the bins, he suggests the canola will be stable for the summer when it starts to get up above 10 or 15 degrees Celsius.
"Last year, there was not a huge problem in terms of moisture. Canola was dry, but growers often think that dry is safe, which is false. Temperature is just as crucial as moisture."
Vanthuyne says it is important that producers do some of the preparation for canola storage at the beginning of the winter, and then turn that process around coming to the summer months. "With proper storage conditions, canola will be stable and can be stored for up to two or three years."
The Canola Council is making available a Canola Storage Time Chart, which outlines in more detail the risks associated with the rising temperatures and moisture levels pertaining to unstable canola. The chart will be contained in the Canola Growers Manual, which will be posted on the council's website at www.canola-council.org in the near future.
For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Agronomist
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (306) 782-7799
Spring is finally here. But as we are enjoying the beautiful weather, the rising temperatures could be proving detrimental to producers with stored canola.
As temperatures start to climb, spoilage and damage of stored canola can also increase, resulting in lost efforts and revenue.
"We have had a fair amount of damaged seed coming in through the course of this winter to both elevators and crushers. That is in part a reflection of what happened last fall, as well as older seed that producers continued to put into the system," stated David Vanthuyne, an agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada.
"There was a report of a bin, approximately 10,000 bushels in size, that came in with over 80 per cent damage. That bin was essentially worth nothing," Vanthuyne said.
Some producers turned their canola or aerated it in November or December to get the core temperature down to zero. With temperatures back on the rise, the Canola Council advises that it is now important to bring that core temperature back up to 10 degrees Celsius.
According to Vanthuyne, "This will ensure that, over the summer months, the temperature in the core and the outside of the bin is closer together. That way, producers can avoid that variation of temperature within the bin which increases the risk of spoilage."
Some producers may have had an area of canola within their bin that was just on the verge of being too warm going into storage, but held stable. Vanthuyne says that, as the temperature on the outside of the bin increases, hot air travels up the sides of the bin and down through the core. Those areas might now be prone to increasing temperatures that can cause spoilage, such as mould, to continue.
"The process of conditioning is important, since it allows producers to get some air movement into their canola bins through simply turning their canola or aerating, whatever the case may be. That equalizes the temperature and prevents spoilage," he said. "Conditioning is just a natural process of canola."
Coming into the spring, Vanthuyne points out there is no definite timeline of how long it will take for damage to begin occurring. But producers should be cautious of the ways in which damage can potentially occur and the risks associated with it.
"Throughout the month of May, we are advising growers to turn on their fans for a few days to try to equalize the temperatures within the bins."
Vanthuyne says the best way to measure the current temperature of stored canola is to pull out part of the load and take a sample. If they have temperature sensors within the bins, he suggests the canola will be stable for the summer when it starts to get up above 10 or 15 degrees Celsius.
"Last year, there was not a huge problem in terms of moisture. Canola was dry, but growers often think that dry is safe, which is false. Temperature is just as crucial as moisture."
Vanthuyne says it is important that producers do some of the preparation for canola storage at the beginning of the winter, and then turn that process around coming to the summer months. "With proper storage conditions, canola will be stable and can be stored for up to two or three years."
The Canola Council is making available a Canola Storage Time Chart, which outlines in more detail the risks associated with the rising temperatures and moisture levels pertaining to unstable canola. The chart will be contained in the Canola Growers Manual, which will be posted on the council's website at www.canola-council.org in the near future.
For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Agronomist
Canola Council of Canada
Phone: (306) 782-7799
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