February 2003
Guidelines for a sound fungicides strategy
Like crop insurance, fungicides are a means of safeguarding a potentially good crop. Knowing what the choices are and using them widely can help achieve higher yieldsby PAT LYNCH
When you see weeds, you can generally kill them with herbicides. The same goes for insects -- see them, watch them build and then decide to control if warranted.However, the strategy with fungicides is different. You use fungicides to protect a good crop. Once you see the disease, it is too late for most fungicides. This means you have to know the life cycles of prevalent diseases, whether mould on beans, fusarium on wheat or some root rot disease on beans. You must also know when your crop is most likely to encounter them. Then you can spray to protect the unaffected part of the field.
The most common fungicides Ontario farmers use are seed treatments. You plant into soil that is loaded with soil diseases and then try to protect the seed from these diseases. Most wheat seed and corn are treated with a fungicide, but probably less than 20 per cent of soybean seed is.
When you use a seed treatment, you are protecting the seed until it becomes a plant. Adding seed treatment allows a lower rate of seed to be used. Lower seeding rates more than offset higher seed cost.
Conventional thinking is to use a seed treatment when planting into cold, wet soil, hence the recommendation that early-planted seed or seed planted into heavy soils should be treated. These conditions are more likely to result in the seed lying in the soil longer. (You are protecting a good potential crop.)
All second-year soybeans should be treated. If there were soys in the field last year, you know that some of the prevalent diseases are already there. You wouldn't put a new flock of chickens or pigs into a barn that was not cleaned from the previous livestock without some kind of disease control. However, there probably wouldn't be any disease problems from putting chickens into a pig barn or vice versa -- this would be a form of rotation. Similarly, seed treatments are more important with monoculture. Starting off with unprotected seed is unwise. If you put crop insurance on a field, you should put seed treatment on it, too.
The other major fungicides are the foliar or leaf-protecting fungicides, products such as Tilt and Folicur. If there is already a low level of disease and the weather is conducive to disease spread, these fungicides have a big payback. If you apply a foliar fungicide and the weather changes so that the disease does not develop, then there will be no advantage from using the fungicide, but you did protect a good crop. A foliar fungicide is a bit like crop insurance -- you pay for it, but you hope it won't be necessary
Foliar fungicides that are well timed and applied have a high probability of giving you a return -- perhaps more so than some fertilizers. Certainly, there is a higher probability of getting a return on seed treatments than on liquid starter on soys.
There are some new fungicides coming. Knowing what they are and what they protect against will help lead us to higher yields. Not every one will be needed on all fields. But just as fertilizers led to higher yields in the 1960s and herbicides to higher yields in the '70s, fungicides will take us to the next plateau. Get to know and understand them so you can use them wisely.
Planting untreated soybeans is rooted in the historic use of bin run seed; sometimes dealers were caught with returned seed that was treated. There was a concern that the germination would drop on this seed if held over. BF
Pat Lynch CCA (ON) is head agronomist for Cargill in Ontario.
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What's in the Nutrient Management Act - Stage II
The draft regulations run to 200 pages and cover everything from construction and siting of manure storage facilities to set-back distances for nutrient application. A partial summary of what they sayby Sam Bradshaw
On December 2, 2002, the Ontario government released 200 pages of draft regulations for Stage II of the Nutrient Management Act, which received royal assent the previous June. Consultations were held during December and January, and the regulations will come into force by April of 2003. The complete document is available on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food website. Here is a partial summary.In Stage II, more categories have been added to include non-livestock nutrient generators and users. Categories are as follows
Category Description Phase In Date 1 Generates or receives 30 or less nutrient units annually. New/expanding - 2003 Existing - 2008 2 Generates or receives between 30 and 150 nutrient units annually. New/expanding - 2003 Existing - 2005 3 Generates or receives between 150 and 300 nutrient units annually. New/expanding - 2003 Existing - 2005 4 Generates or receives more than 300 nutrient units annually. New/expanding - 2003 Existing - 2004 5 Greenhouses or container nurseries New/expanding - 2006 Existing - 2008 6 Non-agriculture (industrial, processors, sewage treatment plants) 2003-2008 7 Generates or receives agricultural materials other than manure (i.e. vegetable waste) 2007 8 Uses commercial fertilizer only 2008 9 Intermediate generators that produce new prescribed materials (i.e. mushroom growers, composting, anaerobic digestion) 2008 Nutrient Management Plans (NMP) must be completed for all agricultural operations that apply nutrients to land. Nutrient Management Strategies (NMS) must be completed by all generators of nutrients (both agricultural and non-agricultural).
NMP and NMS must be renewed every five years or earlier if there is substantial change in the operation. Categories 1,2,5 and 7 may complete a "short version" of the NMP or NMS if certain requirements are met.
Land application of manure. If nutrients are applied to land that is tile drained, the quality of the water leaving the field must be monitored. If this is not possible, the field must be pre-tilled within seven days of application or the application rate must be less than 40 cubic meters per hectare. In the event of a spill, contingency plans must be implemented to stop the release, contain the contaminated water or direct it to an area for treatment or absorption into the soil.
Application is prohibited on land with greater than a 12 per cent slope and on soil hydrologic groups identified with a high run-off potential. Set-back distances or vegetated buffer zones for nutrient application are prescribed for wells, residential buildings, health and educational facilities and surface water sources. Nutrients may not be applied to land that has less than 1.5 meters of soil depth over bedrock, though some exceptions are allowed provided lower rates and different tillage practices are used. Rules are set for direct-flow nutrient application systems and application limitations of bio-solids are prescribed.
Nutrients cannot be applied to snow-covered or frozen soil, nor can they be applied between Dec. 1 and March 31unless conditions are met that mitigate risk to ground and surface water (minimum slope, injection, incorporation, lower rates.
Application of liquid manure or non-agricultural source material to land with tile drainage is forbidden unless the tile drainage system is constructed to enable monitoring of the contents of the system on a field-by-field basis and there is isolation of a contaminated portion of the system to facilitate the implementation of any applicable contingency plan.
Manure storage. Construction of manure storages must be supervised and inspected by an engineer unless the storage is less than 600 cubic meters in size. New manure storages must be constructed according to protocol and sited according to MDS II. Prior to installation, liquid storage sites must go through a hydrogeologic assessment which identifies soil type to at least 1.5 meters below lowest elevation of excavation, establishes depth of aquifer and bedrock and requires hydraulically secure soil between the storage bottom and aquifer or bedrock They must have a minimum flow path of 50 meters to nearest watercourse.
Rules are set for existing and temporary manure storages and decommissioning requirements are laid out for those no longer in use.
Local advisory committees. These bodies will be created to help mediate local nutrient management complaints. Any reports involving a spill or violation will be referred to the environment ministry. At least one member of any panel designated to mediate local issues will be from the same or similar agricultural discipline as the operator involved in the incident. Committee members will consist of farmers, non-farmers, and municipal staff and there will be at least five people on the committee.
Training and education of committee members are the responsibility of the municipality.
Outdoor animal feeding operations. Low density seasonal outdoor rearing is permitted provided there is even distribution of manure throughout the area and manure is prevented from accumulating around feeding and watering facilities. A NMP must be completed for this situation. An outdoor confinement area must be managed to minimize the runoff of contaminated water and tile drains in an outdoor confinement area must be monitored.
High density outdoor feeding operations must ensure less than 300 nutrient units per unit and must be paved if on Group A soils. They must meet minimum distance to residences and water sources and satisfy minimum soil conditions in sensitive areas.
Permanent outdoor feeding areas must be managed to control runoff, be sited the same as agricultural buildings and meet minimum soil conductivity conditions.
Record-keeping. Records must be accessible to the farm operator at all times and must include NMS, NMP, hydrogeological assessment (if applicable), contingency plans and activity log.
The activity log must document actual livestock information, cropping practices and application. 17 forms have been developed to capture this information on an on-going basis. This is over and above the NMS and NMP. BF
Sam Bradshaw is environmental specialist with Ontario Pork.
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Politically inept milk export program bites the dust
When the World Trade Organization ruled against Canada's milk export program, it may have done the industry a favour. Canadian consumers, too, were irate at subsidizing cheap milk for export customersby BARRY WILSON
It took the political equivalent of a two-by-four between the eyes, delivered by the long arm of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, but Canada's dairy industry and its political backers have finally received the message.Under trade rules agreed to by Canada, it is illegal to dump cheap milk into export markets from behind the wall of protective tariffs aimed at shielding Canadian milk producers from cheap import competition. To mix agricultural metaphors, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
It took WTO trade experts 43 pages of legalese to say that, but in mid-December they delivered their verdict, vindicating American and New Zealand complaints that Canadian dairy exports benefit from illegal subsidies. Canadian interests grumbled, but said they would comply.
They may not be ready to concede the point, but the WTO did the sector a favour. A thank-you note to Wellington and Washington would be in order. They saved us from ourselves, for the export program was not only illegal under WTO rules, it was politically inept and a stain on the credibility of the industry.
Let's start with some background. In the 1960s and 1970s, dairy farmers won government and consumer support for a regime of regulation that would save the industry from bankruptcy-inducing low prices.
It was a delicate bargain, premised on three policies:
- Border protections would be erected to shield Canadian dairy farmers from most foreign competition.
- Competition laws would be waived to allow price-fixing for the Canadian market.
- And farmers agreed to tight controls that would limit supply to domestic demand and deal with inadvertent over-production in ways that kept it off export markets.
Since then, despite regular complaints, farmers have done well, earned a decent living and benefited as quotas originally given for free gained value. In 2001, farmgate sales were worth over $4 billion.
A small amount of milk could be exported, using special quota classes as a management tool to deal with production surges. Then five years ago, the industry decided to expand the export program -- some argued as an expanded management tool, while others suggested it was an attempt to prepare for the day when border protections would be sufficiently eroded to end supply management.
Whatever the reason, exports grew to more than $400 million last year, usually at prices half to a third of the domestic price. The United States and New Zealand cried foul and, no matter how hard Canada tried to argue that a wall existed between the domestic system and the export system, the WTO said farmers could only afford to sell abroad at a loss if they were guaranteed a high regulated price domestically. It is called cross-subsidization and as much as $250 million worth of exports were targeted.
Politically, it is also called "'inept." It was only a matter of time before consumers and their anti-supply management leaders and allies began to stir up anger over the fact that, while they were forced to pay high prices and still listen to farmer complaints about not receiving cost-of-production, export customers were getting the same milk for half or less.
For an estimated $250 million in exports, the industry was jeopardizing political support and consumer compliance for a $4 billion industry.
Does that make sense? BF
Barry Wilson is a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery specializing in agriculture.
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Pre-charge with oil for a better engine overhaul
Why crank a diesel to clear the air when you can pressure-purge the system?by KEITH BERGLIND
I don't like having air in an engine, in lines and galleries instead of oil or fuel. So I always pressure pre-lube oil and fuel into every engine I overhaul. And why crank a diesel to clear the air when you can pressure-purge the system?Gas engines used to be easy to pre-lube. Just before the distributor went in, you could usually run the oil pump with a long rod in an electric drill. Today, many engines don't even have a distributor.
Diesel engines usually have gas-driven pumps, which only pump oil when the crankshaft turns. These are best served by pre-lubricating with oil, under pressure, into an oil gallery. Why not have an oil-pressure gauge reading even before the engine fires?
Pressure pre-lube tanks are easy to build, so there's no excuse for not having one. I have built several, using black ABS sewer pipe. I like this system, because the plastic is easy to keep clean and it's cheap. I have small units of two-inch ABS pipe for brake fluid and diesel fuel. The larger three-inch pipe tanks are great for flushing oil coolers as well as pre-charging an engine oil gallery.
I should point out that I don't know what the burst pressure of this ABS plastic pipe is, so I always keep the pressure under 10 psi. You only need about five psi to flush the air out of the fuel filters and the new injection pump you just installed. And five psi will flush an oil cooler with solvent quite quickly. If you don't trust the plastic, use a small metal tank.
It's easy to glue the ABS pipe fittings together in whatever pipe size and lengths you want. Don't make the unit too big. A small one is easy to reload and will be more likely to stay clean in a storage drawer. Drill and thread holes in the top for the gauge and tire valve, and one at the base for the outlet hose. Be sure to include a shut-off valve in the outlet. One shop I visited had a similar unit, but they put a couple of sheet metal screws into each glued joint in case the joint tried to slip apart under pressure.
I have a large collection of brass fittings, so it's easy to remove the oil pressure sender unit and connect in the pre-lube tank hose. A touch of the air chuck and the tank is under pressure. I may spin the engine with the starter while feeding the oil gallery, but I don't let it fire up.
The same goes for when you are bleeding a new injection pump. I like to load new and rebuilt nozzles with fuel. Then, with the fuel filters under charge pressure, a few turns of the engine will purge the open injection lines of air. Connect the lines and the engine will fire.
When I rebuild an automatic transmission, I also flush the cooler and its lines with solvent first, followed by new AT fluid. Too often, dirty oil from the cooler ends up in the nice clean rebuild job.
I use a different system on the air-cooled Volkswagen spray-coupe engines we occasionally overhaul. I like to completely assemble the case and bottom-end rotating parts but, before installing the pistons and barrels, I add the oil and spin the engine by the front pulley nut, using a socket and speed wrench.
In a minute or so there's oil coming from every main and rod bearing, so there's no doubt it's lubricated, and the system, including the oil cooler, is full of oil.
I have always taken pride in putting an engine together, and doing so with proper pre-oiling, pre-filling of the fuel system and the timing set right. Then, with a few seconds of starter time, the engine runs, with oil pressure from the start. BF
Keith Berglind is a licensed heavy-duty mechanic.
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How to maintain flow control for constant spray pressure
A well-calibrated sprayer with manually operable throttling (bypass) valves can do an excellent job of keeping pressure constant, regardless of the number of boom sections being usedby RALPH WINFIELD
Many of us have been frustrated by varying spray pressure when we turn off boom sections to spray out a gore or just to finish a field without double spraying (overlapping).Double spraying with a portion of the boom is not desirable. It not only wastes spray material but, with some spray materials, can cause severe crop damage or high soil residuals.
The good news is that a simple solution is readily available. Virtually every manufacturer of manual or electrically operated control valves, be they of the servo- or solenoid-operated type, has control valves available with adjustable throttling valve attachments for each section. This makes the directional valves into either/or valves. This means that if the flow to a boom section is stopped, the equivalent flow is directed back to the spray tank.
There is one adjustable throttling valve for each control valve or boom section. It will be physically located right next to the corresponding control valve section.
To maintain constant spray pressure, each throttling valve must be adjusted to match the total capacity of the nozzles on that boom section. On a typical three-section boom with a shorter centre section, the centre section valve will redirect a lower flow rate back to the tank. The centre throttling valve will not be open as far.
Field adjustment of throttling valves is simple and should be done at least once a year, or whenever nozzle sizes or spray pressures are changed.
With only water in the sprayer, unfold the booms, bring the pump up to speed and adjust spray pressure using the main regulator when all boom sections are turned on. Then turn off one boom section at a time and adjust the corresponding throttling valve to bring the spray pressure back to the desired setting. Open it by turning counterclockwise to reduce pressure or close it by turning clockwise to increase spray pressure. Repeat for the other boom sections, using their respective throttling valves.
As noted, if nozzle size is changed, the throttling valves will require resetting. If specific pressure or nozzle changes occur regularly, it should be possible to record the required throttling-valve set points by putting a mark on the valve knob to see the number of turns required.
Regardless of sprayer manufacturer or type of pump, existing or readily available throttling valves work well for maintaining constant spray pressure. Your sprayer dealer can update your control valve system if throttling valves are not in place.
If frequent pressure and nozzle changes occur, you might consider an electronic rate controller with flow meters. This will require a variable rate pumping system, which is more expensive but commonly used on large self-propelled units.
For many of us, a well-calibrated sprayer with manually operable throttling (bypass) valves can do an excellent job of providing constant spray pressure, regardless of the number of boom sections being used.BF
Agricultural engineer Ralph Winfield farms at Belmont in Elgin County.
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