FARM-SCAPE  OCT 30, 1998  (EPISODE 42)

Manitoba Agriculture says a government and industry initiative designed to promote the province's hog industry worldwide has been highly successful, during it's first year of operation, in drawing attention to what Manitoba has to offer in terms livestock production.
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The Manitoba Pork Advantage's first major initiative was last November when it sent a trade delegation to a large livestock show in the southern Netherlands.
Marketing and Farm Business Management Branch director Dori Gingera says, because of it's limited land base and high feed costs compared to other parts of the world, Europe is facing challenges in all area of livestock production and stake holders are looking ahead to see how the industry will change as it deals with expansion and sustaining the current industry.

CLIP DORI GINGERA
If they want to remain in agriculture, in particular the livestock industry, they're looking at what their choices are.
They're looking to the United States as well as Canada and seeing, is there an option for them if they want to be in the long term involved in agriculture and in particular the livestock industry.
Probably more particularly for their children than for themselves, is it better for them then to relocate and start up a new business in some other country and there's a number of people that are interested in relocating and maybe starting a new operation in another country and so consequently, both industry and government are looking for options.

Gingera says most of the initiative's experience with people from The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark but producers in other nations such Germany and France are looking at what their futures might be in livestock production.
She says, in addition to the prospects of actual immigration, experienced livestock industry workers often consider the prospects of working in Canada and the initiative also encourages companies to consider setting up satellite operations in Canada.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 29, 1998  (EPISODE 41)

Manitoba Environment says the system that will process waste water generated by Maple Leaf's new world class pork processing plant in Brandon will utilize cutting edge state of the art technologies.
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Earlier this month the provincial environment department issued the city, on behalf of Maple Leaf, the stage one environmental act license which clears the way to begin tendering for the construction of the waste water treatment system.
Park-West Regional Director Bernie Crisp says the this type of plant has certainly been effective in the past in other developments and his department has taken a good look at the system and considers it to be one of the best.

CLIP BERNIE CRISP
The waste water treatment facility actually covers a number of facets.
One would be a covered anaerobic lagoon.
That would be the first process.
Then there would be an activated sludge system which consists of an aeration basin.
Then there's a classifier where the effluent would go into.
Finally it would go through ultraviolet disinfection prior to it going into the Assiniboine River.

Crisp points out a lot of the systems being given approval these days are going with ultraviolet disinfection and getting away from chlorine disinfection.
He says, in some cases when effluent is chlorinated,  it has to be de-chlorinated before it goes back into the river because chlorine has a much more lethal effect on fish than any other method of disinfection.
The next environmental license to be issued will be for the actual commissioning of the waste water treatment plant.
Crisp says, at that particular time the new facility will be inspected and brought on line.
He says effluent will then be run through the facility and a number of tests will be done to make sure it is able to meet the conditions of it's license.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 28, 1998  (EPISODE 40)

Manitoba Pork is urging rural municiple governments to consider steps to protect agricultural land from urban encroachment.
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There have been cases, especially toward Winnipeg in the Selkirk area, were building permits have been issued in areas near existing barns and then the new residents have complained about odours.
Agency Vice Chair David Rolfe says there are examples, especially in Western Manitoba, where people who live in rural residences do not want hog operations located within specific distances of them.
He suggests it must be a two way street and there has to be some responsibility on the RM's part to consider agricultural based land as just that and not allow developments within certain distances from hog barns.

CLIP DAVID ROLFE
Producers are faced with large expenses to modify their operations to conform to newcomers demands.
Sometimes operations are almost put in the position where they're almost forced to relocate to other areas at considerable expense.
We're seeing this opportunity in Manitoba right now to expand the industry.
Admitted it's not the best of circumstances right now the way prices are but sooner or later that's going to turn around.
If we're limited in location as to where we can put these barns then we're going to lose the opportunity in Manitoba to produce hogs.

Rolfe points out there is a limited amount of land suitable for intensive livestock and some of that land is in danger of being lost to agriculture because of urban encroachment.
He beleives it would be a terrible shame to see hogs come in from south of the border when there is an opportunitty to produce them right here in Manitoba.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 27, 1998  (EPISODE 39)

A Winnipeg based Meat Packing Industry Analyst says, in order to generate stronger prices immediately in the pork industry, steps will need to be taken to shorten the supply of hogs.
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In the wake of the Asian economic crisis purchases of North American food products have dropped off dramatically causing prices to plummet.
The price of live hogs is down by as much as 40 per cent.
Peter J. Gaul says, with the Pacific rim not as active as it was, a major part of the customer base that the United States, Canada and others relied on doesn't exist anymore at a time when farrowings in the US increased and the market has responded.

CLIP PETER GAUL
It was just a little while ago, not too long ago, when the hog prices were very high and I think everybody anticipated that price would stay there forever and a lot of the new barns sprung up.
Now it's just a matter that the correction has to take place and the players that are good operators will be able to stay in place.
The players that are maybe investors and are tired of putting money in may hold back and you might find a few of the operations not as healthy as  they could be.
Everything has a cycle.
The cattle industry has a cycle.
The hog industry has a cycle and a lot of us believe we're at the bottom of the cycle and it's just a matter of time.
Whether it be six months, a year or two years, nobody's quite sure, before this thing strengthens full bore again.

Gaul says everyone knows "when you shorten up the supply the price gets stronger." but the question that remains is, "who will take the first step, Canada or the US?"
He says there has to be a levelling out and, as a Canadian, the hope is the US will cut back which would leave Canada's markets to the US and other areas intact.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 26, 1998  (EPISODE 38)

The head of Manitoba Pork says swine producers in the Netherlands and in Belgium are looking to Canada with keen interest as they search for new areas in which to produce hogs.
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Earlier this year, the Netherlands passed legislation which will force the reduction of that nation's swine production by 25 per cent by the year 2002.
Agency Chair Gerry Friesen says if Manitoba was to match the Netherlands production, the province would be raising in excess of 220 million hogs annually compared to three and a half to four million currently being grown each year so there is room to expand.

CLIP GERRY FRIESEN
With the changes in grain transportation, for example, as well as the big land base we have here we certainly have room for expansion.
Not only that.
We also know, after a needs study done, that we'll need in excess of 500 new people to work in barns, 500 people per year for the next ten years, so there's also interest in that area.
All in all the majority of their interest lies in coming out here to become independent producers.
They were obviously all involved in family farms out there.
They would like to see that continue for themselves  and obviously that's something we could promote as well.

Friesen says, because these farmers have experience dealing with large concentrations of hogs, they are also familiar with the new technologies that could benefit Manitoba's swine industry.
For Farm-Scape...I'm  Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 23, 1998  (EPISODE 37)

The Canadian Pork Council is predicting further declines in the value of exports of Canadian pork over the next six months.
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During the first six months of 1998 the value of American pork exports increased but that wasn't the case in Canada.
While the United States relies primarily on pork exports to Mexico and Japan Canada's largest customers have included Russia, The United States, Japan and Korea and overnight Korea has essentially become a non importer.
During the January to July period the value of pork meat exports declined in the order of 25 per cent due to the drop in the value of pork but, on a volume basis, exports held steady.
Executive Secretary Martin Rice says that's not too bad considering exports to Korea declined almost to zero as it's economic crisis set in...but he expects the situation to tighten further over the next six months.

CLIP MARTIN RICE
We expect to see a severe contraction in our pork exports because three of our four major markets, being other than the US, are suffering severe economic contraction and shortage of foreign exchange and in the case of Russia just per a collapse entirely of their import infrastructure so we're going to have a difficult time moving product on a commercial basis.

Rice says, as a result of strikes at important processing plants, Canadian exports on the live hog side continued to expand during the first six months of '98.
He says, because of shut downs at Maple Leaf  in Burlington and Fletchers in Red Deer, a lot of live hogs that would have been processed and would have increased pork exports ended up leaving the country.
He says, had it not been for those strikes, Canadian pork meat exports probably would have shown a similar increase to that of the United States.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 22, 1998  (EPISODE 36)

A financial advisor to the swine industry says the current low prices being paid for live hogs has temporarily dulled the enthusiasm for hog barn expansion in Manitoba.
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Jerry Lupkowski, a partner with Meyers, Norris Penny, says the lows prices are having a dramatic impact on the industry.
He says, last year at this time, the hog industry had no trouble attracting capital but now more time is being spent in planning and putting projects together and with, losses hitting 20 to 25 dollar per animal shipped, it's becoming more difficult to attract investors.

CLIP JERRY LUPKOWSKI
The decreased hog prices through 1998 and going into 1999 with, you know, feed has come down a bit but not enough to compensate for a 40 per cent decrease in hog prices.
I think we're going to see a slowing down, not a halt, but a slowing down of hog barn expansion and the guys are going to be doing their homework I think to make sure that it makes sense and that it's a viable operation.
Anything that can be saved will be saved on new barns.
Production, it's even more important now than  before to make sure your producing as many kilograms of pork for your input costs as possible.

Lupkowski says attitudes do vary across the province and things are still going stronger in Western Manitoba with Maple Leaf building a plant in Brandon.
He stresses, as with any agricultural industry, hog markets are cyclical and now swine producers are facing the low ebb in that cycle.
He suggests the current market will make for a stronger industry in the long run with those who survive having done their homework to make sure their investments are viable.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 21, 1998  (EPISODE 35)

The Vice President of Canada Pork International says the provision of food aid to economically strapped nations such as Russia is the one positive note right now within the North American Swine Industry.
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Nations around the world have started responding to urgent requests from Russia for emergency food relief.
The former Soviet bloc nation is expected to harvest it's worst grain crop in 40 years at a time when it's purchasing power has been devastated by economic collapse.
Canada Pork Vice President Bill Vaggs says the collapse of global economies and the subsequent erosion of their ability to buy pork has created a huge glut which has depressed prices severely.
He says government food aid programs will help remove some of those surplus stocks from the market easing that downward price pressure.

CLIP BILL VAGGS
The current situation is pretty dramatic.
Some people across Canada are talking about losses as high as 40 dollars an  animal and if that continues for any length of time there's no question the production level that we have had we can't sustain.
We've gone out and produced because there was going to be a fantastic world market out there, particularly Japan, Korea, Russia and Mexico and all four of those have all of a sudden collapsed on us.
How soon we'll get them back in full tilt is anybody's guess.
With them collapsing and our increased production coming on stream both at the same time things couldn't have hit a worse time.

Vaggs says direct government handouts to farmers set off international trade bells and Canadian producers have no desire to upset their trading partners, particularly their trading partner to the south.
He says, because foreign food aid is not countervailable, it's far more desirable to producers than direct subsidies.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 20, 1998  (EPISODE 34)

A Manitoba based farm equipment supplier hopes to have a revolutionary new manure fertiliser injection system, which allows on the go nutrient analysis, ready to demonstrate by next spring.
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Ag waste management corporation has joint ventured with a French company to develop, manufacture and distribute a new three part manure injection system.
The system utilises a low disturbance coultre injection implement connected to a six thousand gallon capacity vacuum tank which is run on a six wheel drive truck.
The third part of the system, the equipment which connects the injector to the storage tank is actually a complete monitoring system.
Michael Van Walleghen, with Ag Waste Management says this patented technology will allow nutrients, including nitrogen phosphorus and potassium to be monitored on.

CLIP MICHAEL VAN WALLEGHEN
As many people know, when you're taking manure out of a pit or a lagoon, the nutrient levels can change.
From when you start pumping to when you finish pumping it's very hard to keep it exactly consistent.
The ability of this is it doesn't matter what you're pumping in, you can adjust it.
If you need to have a certain amount of nitrogen per acre on the ground or a certain amount of phosphorus per acre on the ground, this piece of equipment will analyse the nutrients and automatically adjust the flow rate so the what you're applying on the ground will be precisely what the farm is looking for..

Van Walleghen says the equipment will allow producers to easily and conveniently meet new codes which restrict nutrient applications to levels the crops will be able to utilise.
Ag Waste Management holds the manufacturing, distribution and marketing rights for Canada The United States and Mexico.
Van Walleghen says components are just being pulled together now and the goal is to have a working proto-type by this fall and have the equipment ready for demonstration by next spring.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 19, 1998  (EPISODE 33)

The President of Winnipeg based Managro Harvestor Systems says an environmentally sound manure storage system is the cornerstone of any livestock manure management plan.
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Managro distributes the slurry store, a glass bonded to steel manure storage tank, which is being utilised by a growing number of intensive livestock operations throughout Manitoba.
Richard Nelles says livestock manure storage has to be environmentally sound, it has to protect the environment, and it has to reduce odour.
He says the glass bonded to steel tank, because of it's reduced surface area and tendency to crust over, is highly effective in reducing odour...which not only makes it more pleasant to be around but also benefits the crops.

CLIP RICHARD NELLES
Odours that you smell is ammonia that's being volatilized off and that's the nitrogen that is a valuable fertiliser.
If you can keep it in your storage  you've got a lot more then to apply to your fields and get a bigger pay back from your livestock operation.
On a lot of the tests that we've seen on conventional storage's versus pump outs from slurry stores we've seen tests that run three times higher than that of conventional storage.

The glass bonded to steel manure storage is considerably more expensive than some of the other manure storage facilities, running anywhere from three to five times the cost of a conventional storage lagoon.
Nelles says, where the farmer gets paid back for that capital investment is with the higher nutrient content coming from the tank and the ability to better mix the manure for even application
For Farm Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 16, 1998  (EPISODE 32)

A Manitoba Zero Till Research Association hog manure trial conducted this summer has clearly shown manure to be an effective fertiliser source for zero and minimum tillage cropping systems.
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In the past hog manure has been applied with equipment that causes a fair bit of disturbance but, under zero tillage, the goal is to minimise soil disturbance.
Tests conducted using low disturbance equipment on wheat and oats to examined two application methodologies...injection and a surface dribble approach.
Farm Manager Ron Garres says preliminary indications from combine harvesting are that the injection provided the better results.

CLIP RON GARRES
Wwe were using a green track system which is actually a machine that comes out of Ireland through PAMI and what it is a coulter opener type device which is fairly low disturbance and when you inject it into the ground you basically drop those coulters three four inches into the soil, the root zone.
What we did to apply the surface dribble application was simply keep it out of the ground to basically just apply surface dribble.
The injection method did do better for overall yield on both the oats and the wheat.
We kind of expected this because you do get better efficiency from the fertiliser or the manure when it's in this form though, surprisingly, some of the surface application methods aren't too bad and the yields are actually considerable considering and we must have obtained some efficiency from applying it that way as well.

The manure applications were also compared to unfertilised checks and checks on which inorganic liquid nitrogen U.A.N. was applied.
Garres says on the oats the inorganic fertiliser tended to yield better than hog manure but on the wheat it went the other way with some of the higher hog manure treatments yielding higher.
He says it isn't yet certain why that happened but it's hoped protein analysis of the oats and the wheat will provide a better understanding of the reasons.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 15, 1998  (EPISODE 31)

The Canadian Pork Council is urging Prime Minister Jean Chretien to respond to Russian requests for food aid to help that nation through what many expect will be a winter of severe food shortages.
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The Pork Council is strongly recommending the federal government to join with the United States and Europe in responding to Russian requests for assistance.
The current low agricultural commodity prices in Canada are due to the reduction in demand from countries such as Russia which, just months ago were major buyers of pork.
Executive Secretary Martin Rice says Russia has produced it's worst grain since 1953 resulting in the decimation of it's livestock population at a time when economic crisis has slashed it's purchasing power.

CLIP MARTIN RICE
We're urging the federal government to consider an aid package.
That would be exactly what is happening in the US right now and Europe is considering cereals and meats, storable commodities that can be used.
That would give some relief to the market to move some of the product which would be moving into Russia were we to have more normal commercial conditions in effect.

Canada played a major role in opening the market for pork in the former Soviet Union in 1992 with a shipment of 10 thousand tonnes.
By last year Russia had become Canada's third largest customer purchasing almost 50 thousand tonnes.
The Pork Council says, by responding to the calls for help, Russia would receive product it would otherwise be buying if it weren't for the economic problems
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 14, 1998  (EPISODE 30)

The Chair of the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative says law makers in Manitoba have learned some valuable lessons from some of the problems encountered in North Carolina.
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Garland Laliberte says intensive livestock production in North Carolina takes place on the seaboard half of the state where between nine and 15 million hogs are being produced on a primarily undeveloped land base about half the size of Manitoba's agricultural land base.
The density of swine production in North Carolina is already much higher than it will be in Manitoba even the capacity to supply the new Maple Leaf Meats plant is reached.
Laliberte suggests a key factor which has contributed to North Carolina's problems is expansion was so rapid that the legislative framework wasn't developed to regulate where livestock operations could be cited or to ensure sufficient lagoon capacity given the climatic conditions.

CLIP GARLAND LALIBERTE
The legislators have attempted to, after the fact, put legalisation in place but it takes time for the industry to respond to legislation and, in some cases some new pressures come on the legislators and they have put other legislation in place sometimes in conflict with existing legislation or legislation which is about to take effect so they actually have quite a very complicated and inconsistent set of regulations.

Laliberte says, in Manitoba regulations are clear and strairghtforward.
Large operations prohibited from applying manure in the winter and when they do apply it must be at rates no greater than the ability of the crop to utilise the nitrogen and phosphorus.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 13, 1998  (EPISODE 29)

A small cooperative in Nova Scotia has adopted a unique approach to utilizing waste...by combining livestock manure with discarded food products in a composing experiment.
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Ameranth Cooperative Enterprises is working with a swine and poultry producer and a nearby community and combining their organic waste and turning it into a compost that can be used on the farm by the producer or sold as a commercial product.
Project Coordinator John Kline says the idea is to combine the manure produced by the livestock with various types of food waste, provided by restaurants, grocery stores, schools and other institutional sources.

CLIP JOHN KLINE
That's everything from organic wastes to bones to meat.
The only thing we don't take are oils and so anything you can think of that comes off the table, any kind of food scraps, serviettes, anything that's organic that is carbon or nitrogen or protein.
This type of program joins the farmer or farmers and adjoining communities into a program where they share a common solution of diversion of organics from traditional methods, either landfill or putting it raw back on the land and turning it into a value added product.

Various combinations of farm and food waste have been composed and Ameranth is hopeful this new approach to waste management will benefit farmers, rural communities and the environment.
The material is now being evaluated as an on farm fertilizer and soil amendment.
Kline expects the cooperative to have some reliable test results by the end of this year.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 9, 1998  (EPISODE 28)

A pork product which was developed about 15 years ago to target large family gatherings such as thanks-giving, has become a year round favorite.
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The crown roast and it's smaller counterpart the rack were developed by the pork industry in cooperation with retailers as a marketing tool....specifically as a center piece for entertaining family dinners during the holidays.
Ruth Dyker, Manitoba Pork's Home Economist says the crown is really meant to serve larger numbers of people while the rack works well for smaller gatherings and both have become extremely popular.

CLIP RUTH DYKER
They are actually the loin.
In other words they're really just like pork chops, that haven't been cut apart so all of the pork chops are kind of all together.
The they're done in a circle.
We have been supplying little frill packs and that gives recipes and stuffing ideas and how to actually cook it and prepare it.
You just cook them like a roast of pork, at about 325 oven temperature and cook to medium, 160 on an internal meat thermometer.
Then you can stuff the center of the rack or crown and then you can decorate with frills so it makes a really nice presentation piece for a special dinner.

Dyker says the crown and the rack are the same cut of meat and are prepared in exactly the same manner, only the rack is smaller and isn't fashioned into a crown.
She says the product has been an excellent marketing tool and, now, the retailers will have crowns in their meat departments at other times of the year...rather than just for the large entertaining times.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 8, 1998  (EPISODE 27)

The use of manure fertilizer on marginal grassland is allowing ranchers to more than double the number of animal units that land will support.
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Eastern Forage Specialist Fraser Stewart says, historically, there has been limited intensive livestock production on these marginal pasture lands so the use of manure fertilizer has been minimal.
He says, now...with hog operations starting to move into these areas, the grass farmer is seeing a real opportunity to increase the fertility of those marginal lands and boost forage production.
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CLIP FRASER STEWART
Forages obviously are something that are totally dependent on the amount of nutrients that are available in the soil and some of these lands are fairly low in natural fertility.
One advantage we have in a lot of those areas, though, is we have abundant moisture but we're low in fertility.
Now, through the utilization of the hog manure, we're providing the fertility and then we're getting the subsequent improvement in production and we're producing higher volumes of forage obviously but also very high quality forage as well too and we're harvesting that production by cattle either through a grazing situation or a harvested hay situation.

Stewart says, in some cases, farmers are using a combination of harvesting hay and grazing.
He says they may take off the first cut as a harvested hay crop and then pasture for the rest of the year.
He says the use of manure as a fertility source is allowing the grass farmer to maximize the quantity and quality of forage production to the point where an area that formerly took five acres to support a cow calf unit is now down as low as one acre.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 7, 1998  (EPISODE 26)

Manitoba's Agriculture Minister is urging his counterpart in the Environment Department to beef the province's inspection capacity.
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Harry Enns says pork continues to be the meat of choice in the world and, with other nations reducing their pork production, Manitoba is well positioned to take advantage of it...but more effort is needed to overcome some of the opposition to the industry.
He says he is prepared to recommend the appropriate regulations to address the industry's specific problems but some opponents are saying, "the government is passing more regulations but who's out there to see they are being carried out?" and that is a legitimate concern.

CLIP HARRY ENNS
When I hear from the environment shop they don't always have an inspector available or it takes three or four weeks or a month before a complaint is acted upon, that's not acceptable to me.
That hurts my industry.
That hurts the whole pork industry.
We have to be seen to be serious about the regulations we put in place from time to time.
Quite frankly, if there are pork producers that are not abiding by them or are in violation, they have to be held accountable for that and most of the industry recognises it.
I think we have a lot of the answers and a lot of the programs in place but that is not always generally known.

Enns says development of the swine prod y is very much on course in Manitoba.
He says the concern is that the industry is able to provide the hogs for the expanding processing industry including Maple Leaf in Brandon and Springhill Farms in Neepawa as well as the possible expansion of Schneiders.
He says, the industry has it's problems but he's confident those problems can be overcome.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 6, 1998  (EPISODE 25)

The Provincial Agriculture Department says, when it comes to protecting the environment, an earthen manure storage lagoon is just as safe as the more expensive non-earthen storage systems.
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An earthen lagoon, built on an approved site where the existing soil is adequate to support such a storage system, will cost an estimated one and a half cents per imperial gallon to construct.
Those costs can quickly double in instances where some type of additional liner is required or increase five fold for a non-earthen system such as a glass lined steel tank, a cast in place concrete storage or a pre-cast concrete panel storage.
Regional Agricultural Engineer Brian English says, in terms of protecting ground water from nutrients leaching through the soil, the various storage systems are equally effective.

CLIP BRIAN ENGLISH
The earthen manure storage has to be built to certain engineering standards.
Slurry store, or Man-Agro, they engineer their structures as well so both structures are engineered.
If  they're built well, and the earthen manure storage is built on a site that's appropriate to use an earthen manure storage then I see no difference.
I don't see where one system is better than the other as far  protection of the environment goes.

An earthen storage is less effective in minimising the loss of nitrogen to the atmosphere.
English says, given the fact that an earthen storage is relatively shallow with a large surface area, it will lose approximately 43 per cent of the manure's nitrogen content over 400 days of storage.
He says a non-earthen slurry store or pre-cast concrete storage, which has less surface area will cut those losses to 16 or 17 per cent while a covered storage will virtually eliminate the loss of nitrogen.
He says, with both earthen and non-earthen storage's, the loss of phosphorus or potassium will be negligible.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 5, 1998  (EPISODE 24)

Norwest Labs in Winnipeg says the expanding use of manure fertilizer in cropping systems is creating exciting new opportunities for the province's fertilizer dealers.
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With new regulations, which will demand more manure analysis and more soil testing, due to take effect in 1999 livestock operators are looking at this as a discovery year as they examine their approach to manure management.
Jim Hicks says, while manure is a complete fertilizer it isn't balanced so the trick is avoid putting on too much and leave some room to apply inorganic fertilizer to pick up the slack and properly balance the ration of micro and macro nutrients.
He says a lot of fertilizer dealers are finding their farmer customers are looking to them for more guidance and many dealers are putting a greater emphasis on providing that service.

CLIP JIM HICKS
Well I see the opportunity for a number of fertilizer dealers to maybe sell a bit less fertilizer but to handle the regulatory bodies such as Manitoba Environment and Manitoba Agriculture and take one more concern away from the hog producer who is a farmer also and, in a lot of cases, can't supply the amount of time to take a real good job of doing a manure management plan.
With higher yields comes higher needs for maybe extra spraying and, again, just a 365 day a year relationship as opposed to a seasonal relationship.

Hicks says, while manure provides an excellent fertilizer base, different types of storage's will offer different ratios of nutrient so by leaving a gap, and allowing the fertilizer dealer to complete the process of working out the best nutrient balance, the farmer can get increased yields and maintain the health of the land.
He views this as an ideal opportunity for the fertilizer dealer and the farmer to develop a closer working relationship and increase the profits for everybody.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 2, 1998  (EPISODE 23)

A Winnipeg company has introduced what it describes as North America's first relocatable above ground storage system for liquid manure.
I'm Bruce Cochrane and this is Farm-Scape.
I'll be back in a moment.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

The Slurry Pool, which is being distributed by Rosset Machinery, took approximately three years to develop and was introduced this year.
The system consists of a bolted 920 thousand imperial gallon capacity galvanized steel tank which utilizes a tar-rubber inner coating and a low cost reinforced polypropylene ground liner.
Rene Rosset says the Slurry Pool's biggest advantage is the tank can quickly be dismantled and re-assembled right on the crop land where the manure application will take place.

CLIP RENE ROSSET
In a large production site you would have one storage in the yard site that you fill on a regular basis and from that unit you could pump out to satellite tanks through the winter months.
These units could probably be located as far as two miles away.
It gives them the flexibility to sign contracts with local cereal growers, to set up storage on the growers land.
These contracts can be of short duration, perhaps two or three years to longer duration's extending beyond ten years.

Rosset says, because the tank can be sited in the most convenient location possible, remote storage of manure fertilizer will reduce the crop producer's application costs and help encourage increased use of manure in cereal cropping situations.
He says the system also allows the livestock producer to reduce the need to store extremely large volumes of manure on very small parcels of land.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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FARM-SCAPE  OCT 1, 1998  (EPISODE 22)

Agriculture Canada expects it's newly registered high yielding variety of hulless barley to be available for use in swine and poultry rations by the year 2000.
I'm Bruce Cochrane and this is Farm-Scape.
I'll be back in a moment.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

As it's name implies, A.C. Bacon is a hulless variety developed for use in swine rations.
The new variety is a regular height barley with good straw strength and good resistance to the major diseases on the eastern prairies...with the exception of fusarium.
Dr. Mario Therien, a research scientist working with barley breeding and genetics at the Brandon Research Centre, says A.C. Bacon is widely adapted with high yield potential and it produces fairly high protein and high decibel energy so it should be just fine for swine production.

CLIP DR. MARIO THERIEN
Barley, first of all, has a high energy content anyways.
When you remove the hull you remove the problematic area for the swine.
They can't digest the hull, so basically they excrete it and it causes the usual kind of problems.
If the hull is off, they basically can take in most of the nourishment from the grain itself.
Similar to wheat, except wheat has bi-products in it that are not that digestible to swine or hogs were as barley, most of the product itself is digestible so it's a very good thing for swine.

Dr. Therien says, because most of the product is absorbed by the animal there will be less waste out of the back end.
He says hulless barley is particularly well suited for swine and poultry rations.
He says, depending on the variety and conditions, hulless barley will produce anywhere from 20 to 35 per cent less manure than conventional barley and the texture of the manure is such that it is more easily handled by the farmer.
Dr. Therien says Secan, which has the rights to A.C. Bacon, has reported a successful multiplication this year.
He says a bigger grow out will be done next year and the new variety should be commercially available for the year 2000.
For Farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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