May 2013 - Quebec Farmers` Association

Transcription

Vol. 33 , No. 5
May 2013
PQ makes
“food sovereignty” official
What’s Inside
Winter-kill in
Pontiac… p. 5
Farm Food Forums
bring people
out!… pp. 13-15
PHOTO: PIERRE-YVON BÉGIN/TCN
Angel Food
Cake… p. 16
The Mozzarella
War is over… p. 23
Advocate wins
awards… p. 24
Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and Minister of Agriculture François Gendron have unveiled the PQ’s new “food sovereignty” policy. “For a people, the capacity to feed itself from its own
soil is the most fundamental of liberties—this soil that our ancestors cleared, worked, enriched,” said Marois at a press conference held in the Charlevoix region.
Andrew McClelland
Advocate Staff Reporter
Help a
young farmer
follow their
dream
Donate to the
QFA’s Warren
Grapes fund
See p. 16
for details…
Quebec is going to get a lot
more independent when it
comes to food. And if Premier
Pauline Marois is to be believed,
Quebec agricultural producers
will reap the profits.
The Parti Québécois (PQ) leader unveiled her government’s
much touted “food sovereignty”
policy on May 16 at a press conference in Baie-Saint-Paul. The
details of the policy are ambitious—and proving to be controversial.
“We want 50 per cent of
food consumed in Quebec to
be home-grown,” said Marois,
who made the announcement
alongside Quebec Minister of
Agriculture François Gendron.
“Our goal is ambitious, very
ambitious… For each percentage
point increase, it increases sales
by $75 million to Quebec food
producers. We are at about 33
per cent today. We still have a
ways to go.”
Under the provincial govern-
ment’s new policy, public institutions—along with hospitals,
schools and daycare centres—
will serve food that is grown,
sourced and prepared within
Quebec. The program is part of a
larger effort to entice Quebecers
to eat more local products and to
make the province self-sufficient
when it comes to filling its citizens grocery bags.
Marois and Gendron said that
the details of the food sovereignty program will be made clearer
when the Parti Québécois debates
the matter with opposition parties in the National Assembly
this fall. The plan will be made
possible by offering greenhouse
growers a 25 per cent discount
on their hydro bill and increased
financial aid to agricultural producers.
Gendron also suggested that
food distributors will be offered
incentives to source Quebecgrown products. But it remains
to be seen how giant retail distributors like Metro, LoblawsProvigo and Sobey’s-IGA react
to the policy.
“We will be doing more than
simply passing the motion,” said
the agriculture minister, who
added that there “will be rules,
standards and numbers” to regulate those food purchases made
by the province’s own public
institutions.
“It will be binding with respect
to the state,” Gendron said.
Quebec Farmers’ Association
President Chris Judd said that
the idea of encouraging citizens
to support their local farmers is
a good one, but that the implementation of the policy must be
well thought out.
“In a time of a possible unforeseen food shortage, a ‘country’
should create incentives to eat
locally-grown food,” said Judd.
“That’s the best way for a society to feed itself—and it’s good
for food security and self sufficiency.”
“If nothing else, consumers
deserve food labeling that gives
them adequate information:
where is the product grown?
And if it’s processed, what
percentage of its contents are
domestically grown?” added the
QFA president.
Trade agreement trouble?
But Judd is not alone in wondering how Quebec will follow
through on the plan without its
international trading partners
crying foul over giving domestic
foodstuffs an unfair advantage.
The Shawville dairy producer
also expressed reservations over
how such a policy will work
without upsetting Canada’s
nationally integrated farm
industry.
“Our supply managed sectors have an inter-provincial
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Canada is like an old cow.
The West feeds it. Ontario
and Quebec milk it. And you
can well imagine what it’s
doing in the Maritimes.
—Tommy Douglas
Page 2 - Quebec Farmers’ Advocate / May 2013
[reduced] carbon footprint,”
Gendron answered, “through
the ability to demonstrate that
locally produced products are
always more virtuous with
respect to the elements that you
want to address in society: our
dependence on oil, greenhousegas emissions, etc.”
Stirring Quebec pride
The PQ’s food sovereignty policy is part of a growing
trend of government’s hoping
to encourage more consumers
to eat what’s grown in their
home province. Shoppers will
be familiar with the “Aliments du
Québec”and “Aliments préparés
au Québec” fleur-de-lis logos on
The Best of
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
approach to sending raw product to whichever plant needs the
highest ‘return’ raw product,”
Judd noted. “Will a food sovereignty system cause changes?
Our beef is grown in Quebec but
processed outside due to a lack
of Quebec plants, and a large
portion of our cereals come from
the Prairies, but in turn we send
dairy products out west. Will
this upset our inter-provincial
trade?”
Marois and Gendron forestalled some of these criticisms
by saying that the “buy local”
plan will help Quebec stay in
line with environmental impact
agreements and standards.
“This will be through the
the packaging of Quebec grown
and processed foods, and many
Quebec farmers will remember
the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des
Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du
Québec’s (MAPAQ) “Put Quebec
on your plate!” publicity campaign, introduced under Jean
Charest’s government.
Now, the PQ has cooked up a
new slogan for its campaign: “Let’s
be proud to eat québécois.” The sentiment of that phrase has led many
critics to accuse Marois of using
Quebec’s agriculture industry to
drum up separatist support.
“Whether it is at the grocery
store, at the restaurant or in
Quebec homes, Quebec foods
will be raised to the level of jewels
of our economy and emblems of
our identity,” Marois said in the
address held in her rural riding
of Charlevoix-Côte-de-Beaupré.
“For a people, the capacity to
feed itself from its own soil is the
most fundamental of liberties—
this soil that our ancestors cleared,
worked, enriched,” she added.
“They drew their sustenance and
developed, over the centuries,
unparalleled know-how.”
Marois noted that as late as the
1980s, a surprising 78 per cent of
food eaten in Quebec homes was
locally produced.
Quebec
Farmers’ Association
Membership Application
Last Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
First Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRICE
Agricultural or forestry producer, rural resident
or retired farmer:
For 1 year
$68.99 ($60 + $3 GST (5%) + $5.99 TVQ (9.5%))
For 2 years
$137.97 ($120 + $6 GST (5%) + $11.97 TVQ (9.5%))
My cheque is enclosed, payable to “Quebec Farmers’ Association”.
GST No. 107 867 814 RT 001
Mission
To defend the rights, provide information and advocate for
the English-speaking agricultural community
in Quebec
Vision
The QFA’s actions contribute to a sustainable future
for both agriculture and the environment while providing a decent quality of life and financial return for the individuals and their families who have made agriculture and food production their chosen professions.
Shared Values
Members of the QFA believe in:
• Maintaining family-owned and operated farms • Food sovereignty and
self-determination by individuals and nations • Intergenerational involvement
• Lifelong learning • Protection of the physical environment • Preserving land
for agricultural production • Minimum government interference • Working
alone and in partnership with others
QST No. 100 611 322 9 TQ 001
Type of production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Membership Includes:
• a one year subscription to the Quebec Farmers’ Advocate
• discounts on all QFA sponsored events
and services
• free advertising in the Advocate’s classified ads
• voting privileges at the QFA Annual General Meeting
Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Quebec Farmers’ Association
555 boul. Roland Therrien, office 255,
Longueuil, Quebec J4H 4E7
Receipts are issued upon request. Memberships are valid for
12 months from month of purchase.
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate / May 2013 - Page 3
Quebec farmers on Parliament Hill
QFA meets and greets MPs and cabinet ministers at annual agricultural lobby day
Andrew McClelland
and
Dougal Rattray
Advocate Staff Reporters
The QFA represented Quebec
farmers at the annual farm
lobby day on Parliament Hill
in Ottawa on March 19, joining
other farm organizations including the Canadian Federation
of Agriculture, the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture and
L’Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens. All Members of
Parliament and Senators were
invited to meet with farmer representatives to discuss current
and emerging issues facing the
agricultural community.
“It’s always worthwhile to take
part in the ‘Breakfast on the Hill’
lobby day,” said QFA President
Chris Judd. “Many of the MPs and
senators we spoke to told us we
should do it again—they appreciate how farmers are not a ‘polished’ as paid lobbyists in making them aware of the facts. They
know that we tell the real story.”
The QFA has been participating in the annual lobby day since
the initiative was first started 10
years ago.
“Most of the politicians were
very interested and attentive,”
reported Judd. “The governing
party gave the impression that
they didn’t really want to hear anything that differed from their party
line, but those elected representatives that have the public good at
(From left to right): QFA Executive Director Ivan Hale, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Beech Grove-area producer Blake Draper, QFA President Chris Judd, Dundas County agricultural
producer Bernie Van Der Zweep, Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Ron Bonnett, and Dundas Federation of Agriculture President Jackie Pemberton.
heart were much more attentive.”
Judd attended the event with
Ivan Hale, QFA’s executive
director. Various representatives
from QFA partner groups were
also in attendance.
“The lobby day is great way
to keep in touch with other farm
groups,” said Hale. “Most of the
Members of Parliament and their
staff know very little, if anything, about agriculture or life
in rural Canada. Nonetheless,
they seem to know that and they
want to learn about the issues
facing our sector.”
Board Members
Chris Judd
President
Shawville
Douglas Brooks
Executive Member
Franklin
Patricia Keenan
Brompton
Ken Brooks
Franklin
Walter Last
Poltimore
Ben Nichols
4-H representative
John McCart
Vice-President
Grenville-sur-la-Rouge
Wendall Conner
Executive Member
Canton de Hatley
Roy Copeland
Lachute
Gib Drury
Executive Member
Alcove
Armin Ruf
Stanstead
Ronald Strutt
Shawville
PHOTOS: RUTH VOGEL/OFA
Mark Boyd
Wakefield
(From left to right): Ontario Federation of Agriculture Director Joe Dickenson, Lanark county producer John Miller, Renfrew producer Dave
Campbell, The Honourable Judy Sgro (MP for York West), Chris Judd, Ron Bonnett, Blake Draper, Ivan Hale.
JOIN QFA’S
OPEN GROUP
ON FACEBOOK!
GUEST EDITORIAL
QCGN opposes Bill 14, but recognizes
PQ’s outreach to anglos
Dan Lamoureux
President
Quebec Community
Groups Network
For many, Bill 14 remains an
emotional issue, and so it might be
difficult to see the positive effects
of the consultation process surrounding the proposed legislation.
Although the Quebec Community
Groups Network remains opposed
to the bill—and its individual provisions—we recognize that we
as English-speaking Quebecers
gained greater recognition of our
minority community from the
government Quebec.
First, we have benefited as a
community. We demonstrated
that there is a vibrant Englishspeaking community in Quebec
that is greater than the sum of
its individual parts. We worked
together in opposition to Bill 14,
demonstrating a vital community that is prepared to fight for
its institutions and the rights of
its individual members. There
were differences in approach,
but the main message of opposition to Bill 14 was remarkably
consistent and mutually supporting.
Second, the Parti Québécois
government, and in particular
The QCGN continues to
oppose Bill 14. We do not believe
the government produced credible evidence that Bill 14 is needed
or urgent at this time. Despite
softening on some aspects of the
bill, we remain opposed to this
proposed legislation, which, we
repeat, is a solution in search of
a problem. Although we look
forward to continuing a mutually
beneficial relationship with the
government, we will not waver
in our opposition to this legislation; in whole or in part.
ceived to ensure that the voice
of English-speaking Quebec can
be heard and understood by the
government of Quebec.
Third, our community’s
opposition to Bill 14 was not
self-serving. We made the case
that Bill 14 is bad law for all
Quebecers. Our arguments
opposing Bill 14 were echoed
by institutions and organizations like the Barreau du Québec
and the Quebec Human Rights
Commission that serve all
Quebec citizens.
Ministers Jean-François Lisée
and Diane De Courcy, have
gone to extraordinary lengths to
consult with English-speaking
Quebecers. This outreach was
undeniably a good thing. One of
the main messages of the PQ’s
recent op-ed in The Gazette is
that the Parti Québécois has a
greater understanding of our
community’s concerns. It is in
everyone’s interest for Quebec’s
leaders to be aware of the needs
of 13 per cent of the population
and the significant benefits our
community brings to Quebec
society. We hope that a permanent mechanism can be con-
Symbols for Safety
There are dozens of hazard and safety symbols that you
may encounter in working around your farm. Below are
some pictograms that can appear on heavy machinery
or in your work area. Each one is industry-recognized
internationally, and remembering what they mean may
help you prevent an accident or injury.
To learn more, visit the Association 1of Equipment
Manufacturers’ website at www.aem.org and click
on PICTORIALS
WARNING: Foot cutting/
severing hazard from mower
blade
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
WARNING: Cutting
hazard from sickle bar
Quebec Farmers’ Advocate
Editor-in-Chief
Ivan Hale
ihale@upa.qc.ca
Managing Editor
Andrew McClelland
qfa_advocate@upa.qc.ca
Production Manager
La Terre de chez nous
Published to benefit the English
agricultural and rural community in Quebec
Vol. 33, No. 5: 2013
All contents copyright and may not be reprinted or translated
without permission. Published in Quebec by The Quebec Farmers’
Association. Legal deposit: National Library of Canada. Dépôt légal:
Bibliothèque nationale du Québec.
ISSN#0714-9518
Publication Mail No: 40033773
Sales and
distribution coordinator
Pierre Leroux
pleroux@laterre.ca
450 679-8483 ext. 7290
www.quebecfarmers.org
Wear reflective clothing
Sales Representatives
Daniel Lamoureux (National Sales
Representative), Christian Guinard,
Sylvain Joubert, Marie-Claude Primeau.
Contributors
Julie Baillargeon, Caroline Barré,
Angie Beaudet, Pierre-Yvon Bégin,
Robert Berthiaume, Nicole Boudreau,
Yves Charlebois, Heather Dann,
Audrey Desrochers, Sonia Dumont,
Jean-Charles Gagné, Marcel Groleau,
Cynthia Gunn, Josianne Haspeck,
Danny Joncas, Dan Lamoureux,
Thierry Larivière, Marc Larouche, Denis Lord,
Johanne Martin, Hubert McClelland,
Paul Meldrum, Julie Mercier, Myles Mellor,
Terry Mosher, Dougal Rattray, Julie Roy,
Megan Throop, Claudia Villemaire.
QFA memberships, which include a
free subscription to the Advocate, are
$68.99 ($60 + $3 GST + $5.99 QST)
for one year OR $137.97 ($120 + $6
GST + $11.97 QST) for two years. See
the Membership Application form on
page 2.
Send cheques to:
The Quebec Farmers’ Association
555 Roland-Therrien, office 255
Longueuil, QC J4H 4E7
Phone: 450 679-0540, ext. 8536
Fax: 450 463-5291
E-mail: qfa_advocate@upa.qc.ca
CMCA
THE QUEBEC FARMERS’ ASSOCIATION GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES
THE SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CANADIAN HERITAGE
IN THE PUBLICATION OF THIS PAPER.
AUDITED
Drought’s effects still felt
as winter-kill hits alfalfa
Hubert McClelland
Advocate Grazing Specialist
some brome and fescue having
been seeded in mixtures.
While alfalfa was the focus
of my search, the total absence
of grasses was most evident
in many severely damaged
fields. In my estimation, the
drought conditions of 2012 contributed more to the absence
of the grasses in new stands.
Where alfalfa was established in
2012, populations were below
the number expected for a new
field of alfalfa of 15 to 20 plants
per square foot. However, the
drought conditions of 2012—
coupled with the freeze-andthaw cycle rains that lead to
a loss of snow cover during
January, which was then followed by more rains and a fast
freeze—severely reduced alfalfa
populations. This also had a
very severe effect on grasses.
Timothy populations were also
low in alfalfa-timothy stands;
I often found only one or two
plants per square foot in new or
old stands.
I used a method of alfalfa
stand assessment which states
that a good alfalfa stand should
have 20 or more plants per
square foot in the seeding year,
and at least 12 to 20 by first
cutting. (Elsewhere, I’ve read
experts who say that 10 to 15 is
good enough.) If you are counting stems instead of plants, this
number would be between 40
and 55 stems. With anything
less than 40 stems per square
foot, the stand is too weak to
keep.
What to do in these situations is not as easy as just
buying more seed. With the
alfalfa auto-toxicity effect, it is
not recommended practice to
seed alfalfa into existing stands.
However, if the previous population was very low or wiped
out this should not be a problem. With the need to insure
they have sufficient hay and
silage for 2013, producers are
recommended to seed small
grains with peas as a cover
crop or without seeding down.
The other choice is corn silage,
Japanese millet and SorghumSudan hybrid. Next month, I’ll
give an update on the forage
outlook in the western Quebec
region in 2013.
Hubert McClelland has been
encouraging grass-based beef and
dairy production for over 35 years.
He offers consultation through the
Réseau Agriconseils to Quebec
producers who wish to improve
their grazing management. He can
be reached at hubertmcclelland@
worldline.ca
PHOTO: HUBERT MCCLELLAND
Pontiac county farmers are
facing another forage supply
setback this year, with many
reporting winter-kill in alfalfa
fields—from Bristol in the east to
Allumette Island and Sheenboro
in the west of the region. With
hay storages already empty, the
Pontiac UPA requested that I
inspect new seedings of alfalfa
grass mixtures as well as twoand three-year-old alfalfa fields.
Many producers had reported
severe damage and my field visits did indeed confirm drastic
loss of populations in new and
older stands. It is not uncommon for a farm to need to reseed
100 or more extra acres due to
combined drought in 2012 and
winter-kill in 2013.
The plants were inspected for
having broken dormancy and
for root health. All stands were
evaluated for other legume species and grass species. Most
fields inspected had been seeded to 80 per cent alfalfa and
20 per cent grass species. The
grasses most often seeded were
timothy and orchard grass, with
A dead alfalfa field due to winter-kill and drought at Gladcrest Farm in Shawville. With the need to insure they have sufficient hay and silage for 2013, producers are recommended to seed small grains with peas as a cover crop or
without seeding down.
Visit our website!
www.quebecfarmers.org
QUEBEC REGIONAL NEWS
BAS-SAINT-LAURENT
Marc Larouche
Regional Correspondent
DÉGELIS — Neil Leclerc
gets up at the crack of dawn to
work on his farm in Dégelis,
Témiscouata. Suddenly, he
notices something unusual on
one of his animals. He grabs his
smartphone, takes a picture and
sends it to one of his contacts—
in France. The contact gets back
to him in no time, telling Neil
not to worry, as his animal had
the same thing.
Be it in Saint-Anselme, SaintClément, Granby or Dégelis,
distance doesn’t matter anymore. These agricultural producers often know each other
through their avatars, not their
real names: @GabBelzile, @
patrickallen13, @fermeruisselet
ou @neilleclerc. Information is
no longer exchanged over the
phone, but rather on Twitter,
the instant social communication network.
If you still think of a farmer as
someone you’ve seen in Road to
Avonlea, you’re in for a surprise.
Yes, he still drives a tractor and
works in his field until it starts
reflecting the rays of the setting
sun, but that’s just an image.
Daily affairs for most farmers
are now ruled by that famous
tri-toned text alert signalling
the reception of a Facebook or
Twitter message. Today’s farmer
is a modern one.
“Farmers aren’t new to social
networks. Most people don’t
realize it, but farmers are very
present on new communication channels, tools like Twitter,
Facebook and others,” stated
Cindy Rivard, a Bas-SaintLaurent farmer and communications consultant. “Farmers
not only communicate amongst
themselves, but also with suppliers and specialists. I even
know some who asks their veterinarians questions over Twitter,
others who talk to economists.
Agriculture is a business like
any other. You have to know
what’s going on everywhere.”
For Neil Leclerc, Twitter is a
good way of breaking the isolation. “I feel like my contacts are
my neighbours. They’re always
there. We communicate very
often,” said this dairy farmer
with 50 cows, who can no longer
imagine life without Twitter!
“When I’m alone in the field
and I decide to take a break, it’s
not long before I whip out the
phone and start a short Twitter
conversation. Then I return to
work good as new,” said Neil,
who doesn’t like Facebook as
much. “People post their private
lives on it. Twitter is better. I
have access to a wealth of information. It’s like a continuous
newswire.”
Yet, you still have to be careful of what you say on social
networks.
As the saying
goes, “Words fly, but writing
remains!” “You have to think
before writing just anything.
Especially when you’ve got
some credibility. If you publish
something on social networks,
it’s going to stay there for a very
long time,” Cindy Rivard concluded.
Neil Leclerc can no longer get
by without his smartphone. “It
recently broke. I went two weeks
without it. I quickly bought
another one.”
If you’re on Twitter, tweet Neil
a little something @neilleclerc!
PHOTO: CINDY RIVARD, FARMER AND COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST.
When distance no longer matters
Neil Leclerc, owner of Variclair 2007 farm in
Dégelis, Témiscouata, can no longer get by
without his smartphone.
More and more “mice” in the barn!
BAS-SAINT-LAURENT
Marc Larouche
in real time thanks to the Log Me
In application. Nothing to report.
Our farmer goes back to sleep and
into the arms of Morpheus, the
god of dreams.
“New technology has greatly
improved our quality of life and
has given us more freedom,”
attested Cindy, who has been
running the business with her
husband for 11 years. And technology is slowly taking over the
farm: GPS for fieldwork, automated driving—even the good
old scarecrow has been replaced
by robots.
For Tony Landry, there are
many advantages. “For the last 10
years, I’ve been milking 85 cows
all by myself, morning and evening. The result: I’ve developed
shoulder problems caused by
repetitive motions from repeatedly lifting a 20-pound milking
machine twice a day. This investment was really worth it in terms
of preventing more serious health
problems,” he remarked.
“Last year, while I was at the
airport in Mexico, and by using
my iPhone, I was easily able to
access the internet and to see the
cameras in my barn,” he added
grinning. Ah, yes! Thank you
technology for letting us take
vacations!
Because they cost less, the
applications designed for smartphones and electronic tablets
are the most popular. There are
over 200 such applications, which
cover everything from monitoring fields, growing conditions
and assessing pest damage by
Connected Farms, to selecting
seeds. You can find the complete list of applications at www.
craaq.qc.ca/inventaire-desapplications-mobiles. So have
fun using these applications and
saving time that you would have
spent otherwise on the farm!
PHOTO: MARC LAROUCHE
RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP — There
are more and more mice in
Quebec barns, and no one’s complaining, except maybe cats, as
these mice are electronic and represent the technological advancements in farming that many producers have adopted to make
their lives easier.
From his office computer, Tony
Landry, owner of the Saules
dairy farm in Sainte-Hélène-deKamouraska, looks at today’s
milking reports, which detail the
quantity of milk produced by
each of the 60 cows in the new
section of his farm. The reports
even contain the amount of milk
per udder! “The milking operations are completely automated,”
says Tony.
Tony’s iPhone rings before this
reporter can even get a word in.
The caller ID displays “Robot”.
“Nevermind,” he continues. “It’s
the milking robot calling to tell me
that it’s starting its cleaning cycle.”
The Saules farm milking robot
is a marvel of technology. The
cows are attached to it, and the
machine, valued at $400,000,
moves and leads the animal to
the desired area where it will
draw milk.
“My quality of life has improved
greatly. Before, I had to get up
at three o’clock in the morning
to attend to the animals, clean
and milk them, so I could have
time to work in the farm afterwards. Now, I sleep in and wake
up at five o’clock,” he rejoiced.
Tony has also installed an autocleaning robot. And if something
doesn’t work, his iPhone rings.
The scenario is much the same
on the MaltBroue malt farm in
Cabano. It’s five o’clock in the
morning on a Tuesday and Dany
Bastille and his wife, Cindy Rivard,
are sound asleep. This barley and
buckwheat transformation business requires constant management. The phone rings, but no one
is able to wake up and get dressed
to make sure everything’s running
smoothly in the loft barn. Dany
quickly glances at his iPad: he
has access to all production data
The milking robot produces very detailed results.
It goes without saying that technology is omnipresent on Tony Landry’s farm.
Conservation: keeping private
forests alive and well!
BAS-SAINT-LAURENT AND GASPÉSIE
RIVIÈRE-DU-LOUP — The
first thing to know to better tend
your lumber lot is its composition. Some of its contents may
seem useless, but they could
actually play a significant role
in biodiversity conservation.
That’s why many owners of private lumber lots got together
recently in Rivière-du-Loup for
an information session organized by the Agence de mise en
valeur des forêts privées du BasSaint-Laurent.
“Forestry and conservation activities were considered
incompatible for a long time.
This is wrong. Conservation
ensures the protection of all living creatures,” noted Nadeau,
a biologist with the Agence.
Conservation isn’t rocket science. Most owners of lumber
lots are actually doing it without
realizing it. “Protecting the forest heritage, the bush fruit and
fruit trees during forestry operations, having a management
plan—that’s also conservation,”
added Nadeau, who happily
stated that the vision of forest
conservation has changed.
“Die-hard conservationists
define conservation as putting
everything in a bell jar and storing it.” In the same vein, by
protecting the many elements of
one’s lot, by adopting best forestry operation practices, we’re
also protecting biodiversity.”
According to his Agence colleague, David Coulombe, the
natural surroundings of the BasSaint-Laurent contain an abundant biodiversity.
“There are areas that are more
humid, exceptional forest ecosystems, old or rare populations. It may even contain rare
fauna and flora, with species
that are endangered or at risk,”
said Coulombe.
“Some of the region’s treasures are not rare, yet very useful,” he continued. “Snags, for
example, are more alive when
dead, as they can shelter a lot
of fauna, such as mushrooms. A
flock of birds can seek refuge in
them, and they can also contain
bat night roosts. When snags
are lying about, they stimulate
the formation of moss, where
salamanders and other animals
can nest.”
The whole package
The biodiversity of a lumber lot
is composed of all its elements.
That’s why it’s crucial to protect
them all. “Imagine if you’re on
a state-of-the-art plane, and a
PHOTO: MARC LAROUCHE
Marc Larouche
than believed, and it will cause a
whole chain reaction.”
“In biodiversity, each element is important. The bottom line is, you have to consider all the direct benefits
these elements can give back
to mankind, be they hunting
and fishing activities or sources of income from forestry,”
Coulombe concluded.
bolt accidentally comes off. If
the bolt is supporting a row of
seats, then it’s no big deal. But
if it’s supporting a wing, or the
nose of the plane, and it causes
the plane to crash, that’s not
good. Biodiversity works a bit
like this. If you remove a piece
of the puzzle without knowing
what it’s for, it’s possible that
piece plays a much larger role
The natural surroundings of the Bas-Saint-Laurent contain an abundant biodiversity
The Outaouais is relying on its forests to
grow ginseng, a product in high demand
Danny Joncas
GATINEAU — Since harvesting and selling wild ginseng
is illegal in Quebec, producers
from the Outaouais have been
exploring another option of
growing a variety that closely
resembles this plant used mostly
for medicinal purposes: growing
ginseng in forested areas.
This initiative, which began
out of sheer curiosity in 2010, is
gaining more and more ground.
Growers hope to reap the fruits
of their plantations in the next
10 years, when the roots of their
ginseng plants will be ready for
harvest and sale.
CREDÉTAO (Centre de recherche et de développement technologique agricole de l’Outaouais)
was the first to be interested in
exploiting the ginseng-growing
potential of Outaouais forests.
The Club de producteurs de ginseng de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau
was then set up so that each
producer could share his or her
expertise. “Since the demand is
very high, especially in China,
and since it’s an international
market that’s the target, there is
no competition between producers,” affirmed Rudi Markgraf, a
consultant hired by CREDÉTAO.
It took no time at all to find
producers interested in growing forest ginseng. The club has
grown from 20 members in late
2011 to 55 members today, in
addition to its 40 or so clients.
And these members are manifestly active. The club sold its
members five pounds of seeds
in autumn 2010; that number
jumped to 42 pounds in autumn
2011, and then to 95 pounds in
autumn 2012. Some producers
have even tried to seed ginseng
themselves this spring, which is
not common practice.
Why the Outaouais?
Because the forests of the
Outaouais are so suitable to
growing ginseng, wood producers, outfitters and farmers with
forests on their lands are being
Four types
of ginseng
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
OUTAOUAIS
Ginseng is a plant that grows naturally in under the forest canopy, in 80 per cent shady
conditions.
encouraged to grow the plant.
“The climate lends itself to
it,” explains Rudi, who is also
on the Club’s board of directors.
Ginseng grows in forests with 70
per cent deciduous trees that are
at least 50 years old.
“Historically,
Montérégie
and Estrie were the two regions
where you could find the most
ginseng in Quebec. But the forests have been through so much
stress, mostly due to wood and
wild ginseng harvesting since
the 1700s, when this plant was
first discovered,” he continued.
This stress considerably
reduced wild ginseng populations, to the extent that only
around a hundred still exist in
Quebec.
Patience…
Those who want to grow
ginseng have to wait 10 years
before they are actually able
to cultivate the plant’s root.
On the upside, ginseng plantations require little maintenance,
except for tilling the soil, weeding every three-to-four years,
and harvesting, which is done
• Field-grown: A crop largely
found in Ontario, Wisconsin
and China (only one plantation in Quebec); sells for
around $20/lb.
• Forest-grown: Ginseng roots
grown in the forest sell for
around $100/lb.
• Wild simulated ginseng*: The
most desirable type of ginseng reproduced in the forest; has a human-like shape
(with a head, two arms, two
legs) rather than the shape
of a carrot; sells for around
$300/lb.
• Wild harvested ginseng: Sale
illegal in Quebec, but permitted in some U.S. states.
* A type of ginseng grown by
Outaouais producers
by hand. As for income, after
10 years, a half-acre plantation
can yield up to $20,000 for its
owner.
Our forests will feel the effects
of climate change
MONTÉRÉGIE
SAINT-HYACINTHE — As
part of the “multi-resource forestry Fridays,” the AFM (Agence
forestière de la Montérégie) and
the UTCF (Unité de transfert de
connaissances forestières) presented a thematic event on climate change and its effect on
the Montérégie region’s forest
composition and maple syrup
production in Quebec.
At the event, 71 climatic scenarios were simulated, taking
into account parameters such
as minimum and maximum
temperatures, precipitation and
other environmental variables
such as topography, surface
deposits and drainage. Factors
capable of affecting climate,
such as human activity and
changes in the earth’s energy
balance—triggered by variations in sunlight, volcanic eruptions, greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions, or even changes
in land use—were also considered. The study covered an area
of 2,567,200 km2, or 6,418 cells
of 400 km2 each.
PHOTO: CAROLINE BARRÉ
Caroline Barré
Louis Duchesne, forestry engineer, M. Sc.,
of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles
du Québec.
Catherine Périé, biologist,
Ph.D., of the Direction de la recherche forestière at the Ministère des
Ressources naturelles du Québec,
then shared the results of a project study on the effects of climate change on the distribution
of trees in Quebec. The study
revealed that between now
and 2050, the temperature will
increase on average by 2.4 °C,
and by 3.7 °C in the worst-case
scenario. In 2090, the estimated
average temperature increase
will be 3.7 °C, which may even
reach 5.7 °C.
This temperature increase will
cause an increase in precipitation in the form of rain or snow,
mostly in colder months, In
short, in in 2090, Montérégie will
have a climate much like the current climate of New York City.
These disturbances will affect
the existence and distribution
of trees in the region. Whereas
certain species will adapt, those
that cannot adapt or grow in a
more suitable climate, will simply disappear. But the province
should win on the side of biodiversity, as these same disturbances will allow new species to
establish themselves.
Global warming is also predicted to affect maple syrup production of some 13,500 Quebec
producers, who generate a
gross domestic product (GDP)
of $735 million. “If sugar maples
manage to adapt, the expected
losses will be less,” estimates
Louis Duschesne, forestry engineer, M. Sc., of the Ministère des
Ressources Naturelles. To help
sustain maple syrup production, the maximum production period must be advanced
gradually from 12 to 19 days
between 2050 and 2090, as the
springtime sap run requires a
series of nights where the temperature falls below zero and
days where the temperature
rises above. Because sap run
dates vary from one year to the
next, this period is still very
unpredictable.
These forecasts are based on
a compilation of statistics on
maple syrup production over a
22-year period (1985-2006), as
well as on recorded data from
132 weather stations spread
throughout Quebec’s mapleproducing zone. The data predict a potential decrease in tap
yield of about 15 and 22 per cent
in 2050 and 2090, respectively.
The month of April is mostly to
blame for this decrease, as this
month has been increasingly
warmer over the years.
Research is still being conducted to better predict climate
changes and their effects on
Montérégie forests.
Potential distribution of species
The potential impact of climate change
on 42 recorded species in Montérégie
Of the 25 species that may become more affected:
Seven may completely disappear from the region’s landscape
18 risk decline over 50 per cent of their distribution
Seven species will show marginal local survival over less than
50 per cent of their distribution.
10 species will benefit from climatic conditions still favourable to
their development
Of 41 newcomers, seven may become more common:
• Pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
• White sassafras
(Sassafras albidum)
• Sweet gum tree
(Liquidembar styraciflua)
• Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)
• Tulip tree
(Liriodendron tulipifera)
• Common hackberry
(Celtis occidentalis)
• Pin oak (Quercus palustris).
Interested in growing hops?
CHAUDIÈRE-APPALACHES
Yves Charlebois
THETFORD-MINES — Seven
producers started cultivating
hops a few years ago. Two of
these hops farmers, Julie Corry
and Déric Hamelin of Dunham,
live on land owned by Julie’s
family in the Eastern Townships.
She’s a lawyer, and he works in
hardware. In 2012, after lots of
research, the couple decided to
experiment by planting an acre
of hops, and then increase it
eight-fold over next few years.
They even went all the way to
British Columbia to buy their
rhizomes.
The hops plant can grow up
to six metres (20 feet) in height.
It needs to be supported with
solid stakes planted firmly in
the ground. On plantations, it’s
common to see rows of steel
wires tied to giant electrical
posts, on which hops plants
grow upwards. The site also has
its own irrigation system.
It takes at least three years for
the plants to reach their maximum production potential. It
costs around $14,000 to plant one
acre of hops, and if everything
goes as planned, an annual yield
can be worth just as much. It’s
also possible to earn a secondary
income by selling rhizomes.
The Cooperative
Julie and Déric are members of
the Coopérative de solidarité soci-
ale Houblon Québec hops co-op
based in Thetford-Mines. The
cooperative has a processing
centre where hops grains are
transformed into pellets, and it
also offers a mobile harvester to
its members.
In 2012, about 40 kilograms of
hops was produced by the five
member producers of the cooperative. According to its director,
Jordan Roy, Quebec microbreweries only need 240,000 kg of
hops per year, and these microbreweries only account for 6.1
per cent of Quebec’s beer market, which churns out $100 million in annual sales.
No easy feat
Like any crop, hops are susceptible to insect infestations
and diseases, such as mildew.
According to Déric, “the plant is
very fragile and must be properly attended to.”
Hops are harvested by hand in
clusters in late September-early
October. The clusters are inserted in a device that removes each
cone. Julie and Déric built a hops
kiln and installed it in a building on the farm with powerful
fans, so the hops can be dried
A cluster of hops.
PHOTO: FERME HOUBLON DUNHAM
Local Quebec brewers
need to import tons of
hops each year, but
this may change over
the next few years.
directly on-site and at any time.
However, since some brewers
use fresh hops to brew seasonal
beers, this cuts down on the drying and processing time.
The Dunham hops field.
Ten years of raising yaks
Isabelle Larose
SAINT-ELZÉAR — For the
past 10 years, Guylaine Babin
and Jean-Guy Duchesne have
been running the only yak farm
in Canada, in Saint-Elzéar in
Gaspésie.
“Pinky! Pinky!” Jean-Guy
Duchesne calls out as he enters
the pen where dozens of yacks are
peacefully brooding. The animals,
which originate in the Tibetan
Plateau, are not bothered by the
freezing-cold
temperatures
outside, nor by visitors. Only
Pinky, one of the newborn yaks
of BOS G. farm, comes running
up to him. “We bottle-feed her,
since her mother doesn’t produce enough milk,” explained
Jean-Guy, as the young calf frolicked about.
Just like her pen-mates, Pinky
is stocky, has stubby legs and is
covered in a thick wool. Her little horns look harmless next to
the meter-long ones of the bulls.
Despite these imposing bone-like
protrusions, the owner reassures
me: “The yak is a Tibetan bovine.
It is representative of the image of
its country of origin: calm and zen.
It is not an aggressive animal.”
From the Arctic to the
Gaspésie
Before settling in the hinterland of the Gaspé, Jean-Guy
Duchesne and Guylaine Babin
lived in Iqaluit, Nunavut, for
12 years, where he worked as a
fisheries technician and she as an
air traffic controller. “We both
wondered what we would do
when we would go back South.
We both had the idea of a farm.
We were looking for an animal that wasn’t commonly bred.
We came across the yak and
researched it. This was the right
animal,” Jean-Guy recalled.
In 2003, the couple settled
in Saint-Elzéar, in the Baie-desChaleurs. “When I got here,
there was absolutely nothing,” remembers the breeder.
With their bare hands, JeanGuy and his wife cleared the
land, built the loft barn and the
house. Meanwhile, the couple
purchased its 10 first yaks in
Alberta and British Columbia.
“[The yaks] were extremely difficult to find. It took us three
years to find them,” exclaimed
Jean-Guy.
Since the very beginning,
passers-by have been curious
about the animals. “When I was
building my fence, I was always
approached by people who
PHOTO: ISABELLE LAROSE
GASPÉSIE
Jean-Guy Duchesne with Pinky at only a few weeks old.
would ask me: ‘What is this?”,
he remembers.
Windows of opportunity
Interest in the yak has allowed
the owners to quickly exploit
their farm’s agrotourism poten-
tial. Today, the farm boasts 80 of
these creatures, and last summer
alone, 800 people visited them.
The success of the BOS G. farm
can also be attributed to breeding and the sale of yak meat.
Since 2006, the owners also
offer country-style dining in
their own kitchen, a large and
convivial space where yak meat
takes center stage. On the menu:
mini yak Wellington, Carpaccio
in mustard sauce and Tibetan
tartar.
“Yak meat is tender, full of
protein and very lean. Beef contains 26 per cent fat, yak 3.8
per cent,” Jean-Guy specified.
He sometimes cooks for 20 or so
guests in one seating.
The Babin-Duchesne couple is
hoping to develop a fifth specialty of their business promoting
the value of yak wool. “This is
the second-warmest wool in the
world after muskox,” the owner
exclaimed.
Jean-Guy also pointed out that
the animal is worth most when
it is ready for slaughter, around
the age of four. “People buy
their horns to make goblets or
French horns for medieval fairs.
Others use the fur to make wigs
and the leather for shoemaking,”
he explained.
Starting next year, even yak
excrement will be used – which
is actually odourless! – as fuel
to heat the house. At BOS G.
farm, things aren’t wasted—but
created!
The five
specialties of
BOS G. farm
• Agrotourism and
guided tours
• Breeding
• Sale of meat
• Country-style dining
• Promoting yak wool
With a herd of 80 yaks, the BOS G. farm attracts hundreds of curious visitors per year. The animals are originally from Tibet and feed exclusively on hay and silage.
Seven golden rules for producing
good quality silage
Large bales: a special case…
Robert Berthiaume, Ph.D.
Forage Systems Expert
and
Julie Baillargeon, M.Sc.,
Research Project and
Technology Transfer
Coordinator
Valacta
The Springfield brothers are
concerned about the quality of
the silage they’re feeding their
cows: it gives off heat and smells
strange… why is that? How do
you prevent quality losses in
forage during storage? In order
to answer that question, it’s very
important to have a clear understanding of the ensiling process
and adhere to the seven golden
rules.
between mowing and ensiling.
• Sharpen and adjust the blades
of the forage harvester to maximize efficiency (reduce fuel
consumption) and ensure a
clean cut, which makes the
silage less porous and allows
better packing.
• Calibrate the additive applicator.
Keep the work area clean
• Set the cutting height at 10 cm
or more to avoid picking up
soil that may contain undesirable bacteria.
• Adjust the rake to avoid picking up soil, which may contain
undesirable bacteria that hinder fermentation.
• Allow at least 28 days between
applying manure and ensiling.
Harvest at the right stage
Whatever conservation method
you use, it will never improve the
quality of your forage. That’s why
it’s important to harvest at the
optimum stage of plant development. If the silage is intended for
lactating cows, harvest your grass
forages in the late boot to early
heading stage and your legume
forages in the bud to early bloom
stage.
Get organized
A silage operation doesn’t get
underway at a moment’s notice:
• Plan all the steps of the operation on paper so you can organize the necessary machinery
and work force.
• Get rid of old leftover silage
that may contain mould.
• Check if the silo is still airtight
and repair any cracks or damage.
• Adjust the mower and conditioner according to the system
you are using. For example,
there’s no need to condition
same-day silage. Regardless
of the system you use, adjust
your machinery to obtain wide
windrows (80 per cent of the
width of the mowed area) to
reduce the amount of time
Harvest at
the recommended
dry matter content
Regardless of the system you
use, it’s better to avoid extremes
and ensile at the recommended
dry matter (DM) content (Table
1). Grasses should be ensiled
at 30 per cent DM or more,
while legume forages should
be ensiled at 35 per cent DM or
more. On the other hand, forage
that is too dry doesn’t pack well
and tends to trap more oxygen,
which could lead to excessive
heating in the days following
ensiling.
In the case of vertical silos,
the ideal dry matter content
for ensiling depends on the
height and diameter of the
silo. Adjusting the dry matter
content ensures optimal packing and helps prevent seepage
losses which could shorten the
service life of your silo.
Height (ft.)
In the case of large bales (round
or square), the silage is not
chopped and the fermentation
process is consequently slower
and less intense. If the silage is too
wet, the pH will not drop quickly
enough to prevent the proliferation of undesirable bacteria (clostridia, enterobacteria). Hence it’s
best to ensile forages around 50
per cent DM, but large bales can
also be wrapped at higher DM
contents. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that wet hay
bales (> 60 per cent DM) are more
likely to be affected by the presence of air in the silo and should
therefore be fed out promptly.
Eliminate oxygen quickly
A certain amount of oxygen
will enter the silo during ensiling.
Air infiltration will depend on the
rate at which the silo is filled and
sealed. Once the silo is sealed, the
plant material must consume the
oxygen and convert it to carbon
dioxide. This is why it is important to ensile young plants in
which the respiration process is
still active.
When the silo is reopened, it
is essential to prevent air from
re-entering the silage mass.
Hence the forage needs to be well
chopped to ensure better compaction. In the case of vertical silos,
finer chopping is often recommended to ensure that the blower
and the unloader function properly.
Recommended chop lengths
are as follows:
• 3/8 in. (9 mm) for corn silage
without roller mills
• 3/4 in. (18 mm) for corn silage
with roller mills
• 1/2 in. (12.5 mm) for haylage
Again, large bales are a special case. As mentioned earlier,
because large bale silage isn’t
chopped, the fermentation process is slower and less intense.
With the arrival on the market
of chopping systems such as
Roto Cut, it is now possible to
reduce the particle size of the forage and increase the density of
large bales. This generally leads
to improved fermentation and a
small decrease in DM losses.
Maintain airtightness
In all cases, it essential to seal
the silo as quickly as possible to
stop air from entering the silage.
Thereafter, the silos need to be
inspected regularly. Adhesive
tape should be used to block any
holes or tears in bunker silos, tube
silos and wrapped large bales.
Maintain an adequate
feed-out rate
Silage is never dead. The product keeps well as long as there is
no air in the silo. When silage is
exposed to air at feed-out, however, the material starts to ferment again. To prevent silage
from deteriorating, it’s important
to make sure that sufficient quantities are fed out every day and
that the unloading is managed
properly, maintaining a smooth
feed-out face.
The amount of silage removed
at feed-out varies according to the
season. In winter when the weather is cold, the feed-out rate can be
a little lower (10 to 15 cm/day)
than in summer (20 to 30 cm/day),
when temperatures are higher and
the microorganisms in the silage
start working more rapidly.
The Springfield brothers’
challenge…right into the silo!
Yucch... What
an awful smell!
snif
snif
I think the
problem is the
stack...
Still... with the
plastic we put
on it...
Diameter (ft.)
18
20
24
30
50
30
34
37
38
60
33
37
39
40
70
35
40
41
43
Source: Pitt and Parlange, 1987
To see the video capsule of this episode of the Springfield brothers’ forage
challenge, go to http://youtu.be/8WaMIM9_PAg
Silage 101
The principle of silage rests on the technique of storing hay in the absence of air, in an airtight container, to effect rapid and efficient acidification of the forage mass. Acidification
is induced by lactic acid bacteria that are present on the hay at the time of ensiling. These bacteria convert plant sugars into organic acids: lactic acid, acetic acid and others.
The ensiling process occurs in three phases:
Aerobic phase
Fermentation phase
• Occurs in the presence of air.
• Begins at the time of mowing and may last from a few
hours to several weeks, ending when the air in the silage
mass has been depleted.
• The temperature increases, ideally to between 20 and
32 °C. If the temperature reaches 48 °C, caramelization
(browning) occurs, reducing protein digestibility.
• Begins as soon as the air in the silage mass has been depleted.
• Causes cells to burst.
• Many types of microorganisms can develop, but only
the lactic acid bacteria are desirable.
• To prevent the proliferation of enterobacteria, clostridia and yeast, the following conditions are required:
* a rapid drop in pH
* an increase in dry matter content (wilting)
* the sustained exclusion of air
Anaerobic stability phase
• The temperature of the silage mass returns to normal,
close to ambient air temperature.
• Microbial activity is minimal.
• The pH may increase if it hasn’t yet stabilized.
The Quebec Beef Producers Federation
Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec
2013 Annual General Meeting
Sonia Dumont
FPBQ
Assembled under the theme
Being Strategic on May 3-4, 2013,
some 200 beef producers, industry stakeholders and representatives of various levels of government participated in the 31st
annual general meeting of the
Fédération des producteurs de bovins
du Québec (FPBQ).
At the outset, the federation’s
president, Claude Viel, emphasized the importance of looking to the future and of thinking strategically when making
choices, both as farmers and as
a federation.
He insisted on the importance
of working together towards
common goals—the ultimate
aim being to obtain an organized
and efficient marketing system
that will benefit all cattle producers. Although both the beef and
veal sectors are presently going
through tough times, Viel is confident that, with the implementation of strategic plans in the five
bovine sectors, “we can build a
bright future for our youth—the
upcoming generation.”
During the meeting’s two-day
agenda, nineteen resolutions
were passed in the workshops
and the plenary session. A summary of these resolutions is available on the federation’s website
at www.bovin.qc.ca.
Representatives
from
the
Canadian
Cattlemen’s
Association and Canada Beef, as
well as the UPA’s vice-president,
Pierre Lemieux, were in attendance and outlined the priorities
of their respective organizations.
Also, an activity focusing on “the
federation of tomorrow” generated much interest among participants. It involves a process
that will enable the federation to
more effectively define its role in
the future, in order to meet the
needs of cattle farmers.
The federation’s Board of
Directors then proceeded with
Your elected officers
the election of its executive committee. It is now composed of
Claude Viel as president, Guy
Gallant as vice-president, along
with Michel Daigle, André
Ricard and Gérard Lapointe as
members.
Other changes on the Board
of Directors include: Normand
Dumais as the new president
of the Côte-de-Sud section and
Daniel Lajoie as the new president of the milk-fed veal marketing committee.
We would like to take this
opportunity to underscore the
work accomplished by the outgoing directors on the various
committees and also, to welcome
the new directors to the federation.
Board of Directors
President
Claude Viel
Outaouais-Laurentides
Gib Drury
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Stanislas Gachet
Québec
Bertrand Bédard
Bas-Saint-Laurent
Jacques Fortin
Saguenay
Lac-Saint-Jean
Gilles Murray
Beauce
Sylvain Bourque
Saint-Hyacinthe
Yvon Boucher
Centre-du-Québec
J.-Alain Laroche
Saint-Jean-Valleyfield
Kirk Jackson
Côte-du-Sud
Normand Dumais
CMMVE President
1
Thérèse G. Carbonneau
Estrie
André Tessier
CMMBA President
2
Michel Daigle (2)
Gaspésie
Guy Gallant (1)
CMMVG President
3
Gérard Lapointe (2)
Lanaudière
André Ricard (2)
CMMVL President
4
Daniel Lajoie
Mauricie
Louis-Joseph Beaudoin
CMMBR President
5
Pierre Ruest
Legend (1): Vice-president
1 Feeder Calf Marketing Committee
2 Slaughter Cattle Marketing Committee
3 Grain-fed Veal Marketing Committee
(2): Member of executive committee
4 Milk-fed Veal Marketing Committee
5 Cull Cattle Marketing Committee
Marketing and Negotiation Committees
Regions and
representatives
Cull cattle
committee
Slaughter
cattle committee
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Paul Ten Have
Yves Bergeron
Bas-Saint-Laurent
Pierre Ruest (1)
Feeder calf
committee
Grain-fed veal
committee
Milk-fed veal
committee
Hélène Noël
Vacant
Vacant
Jacques Fortin
Maurice Veilleux (3)
Vital Potvin
Vacant
Vacant
Yves Barbet (3)
Beauce
Bertrand Gagné
Jules Côté
Thérèse G.
Carbonneau (1)
Centre-du-Québec
Rudolf Binggeli
Vacant
Marcel Bélanger
Martin Tessier
Marco Richard (2)
Christian Caya (4)
Sébastien Hamel (4)
Côte-du-Sud
Gervais Pelletier
Alain Pelletier
Normand Dumais (3)
Daniel Lajoie (1)
Estrie
Alain Bouffard
Lionel Roy
André Tessier
Antoine Doyon
Patrick St-Onge
Annick Lapierre (4)
Gaspésie
Guy Gallant (2)
Vacant
Frédéric Delarosbil
Vacant
Vacant
Lanaudière
Éric Maheux
Denis Ouellet
Claude Thouin
Gérard Ricard
Vacant
Mauricie
Yves Lamy
Claude Lampron
Michel Masson
Louis-Joseph
Beaudoin (3)
Vacant
Outaouais-Laurentides
Philippe Leroux
Jacques Desrosiers (2)
Stanley Christensen (2)
Vacant
Vacant
Québec
Normand Bourque
Jean-Guy Perreault
François Poirier
Alain Leclerc
Pierre-Luc Nadeau
Luc Desrochers (4)
Jocelyn Bilodeau (4)
Saguenay-Lac-SaintJean
Steve Bouchard
Carol Tremblay
Jean-Thomas Maltais
Émilie Girard
Vacant
Saint-Hyacinthe
Claude St-Denis
Michel Daigle (1)
Gérald Brouillard
Jocelyn Grenier (2)
Guy Lalanne
Yann Dupréelle (4)
Saint-Jean-Valleyfield
Kirk Jackson (3)
Normand Vinet (3)
Serge Dethier
Robert Wynands (3)
Fabien Fontaine (3)
Representatives
of accredited
associations
Gabriel Rancourt (3)
(FPLQ)
Sylvain Raynault (3)
(SPEQ)
André Beaumont
(CCRB)
N/A
N/A
CMMVE
Representative
André Tessier
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Federation
Representative
André Ricard(3)
Guy Gallant(3)
André Ricard (3)
Michel Daigle (3)
Legend 1: President 2: Vice-president 3: Member of negotiations committee 4: Substitute producer – without voting rights
During the banquet, the federation paid tribute to Michel
Dessureault, who held the office
of president for 18 years. Speaker
after speaker underlined the
indispensable family support
that Michel received. Indeed,
it was because of his family’s
understanding that his involvement and commitment were
made possible.
Many of the highlights of his
union carrier were underscored;
of particular note was the implementation of the permanent identification and traceability program in 2002. However, it was
mainly his profound convictions
that were emphasized, namely:
• that the federation has an
essential role to play;
• that producers should be able
to make a decent living in beef
production;
• that beef production in Quebec
must remain innovative.
Furthermore,
President
Claude Viel emphasized that
Michel’s priority had always
been to respect the mandates
given to him by the producers.
Finally, before an attentive
audience, a short humorous
video gave another glimpse of
this man who was the federation’s president for 18 years.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FPBQ
A tribute to
Michel Dessureault
Michel Dessureault’s family was in attendance for a tribute held in honour of the former
FPBQ president.
Meet the new face of horticulture at Mac
Strawberries in December?
One of Gravel’s main research
goals concerns Quebec’s favorite
June crop—the strawberry.
“There’s a lot of competition
out there, with strawberries
coming from many places,” says
Gravel. “Ideally, we would like
to extend the production period
to start a little bit earlier and ends
a little bit later. The strawberry
season here in Quebec has a peak
in June and then another peak in
August-September; there’s a gap
between the two. We would like
VQ DG CDNG VQ ſNN VJCV ICRŒ
For now, Gravel will be
working with existing cultivars,
growing them in soilless
systems in high tunnels and
in the greenhouse, looking at
combinations of amendments
as well as microbial activity to
achieve optimum plant growth,
fruit production and quality.
She will be monitoring plant
reaction to fertilization and
nutrient availability as well as
uptake, and how availability and
uptake are affected by microbial
activity—the whole soil-plantenvironment continuum.
Disease and pest control
in high tunnels
Working in high tunnels
presents a whole new set of
problems. Since the growing
conditions are not the same,
diseases and pests do not behave
in exactly the same way as they
FQ KP VJG ſGNF *KIJ VWPPGNU
have a warmer and more humid
environment, and furthermore,
the growing substrate can be
different. The same pests and
diseases often create a bigger
problem because of these
conditions.
“You do have a bit of control
over the conditions but not like
you do in a greenhouse,” says
)TCXGN ő;QW PGGF VQ ſPF VJG
right balance.”
Back to the strawberries
Especially with strawberries,
Gravel will be doing some
greenhouse work as well.
“Growers in Quebec are
producing strawberries in the
greenhouse, but it’s expensive,
especially given the Quebec
climate,” says Gravel. “We will
be looking for a way to produce
strawberries in a greenhouse
GHſEKGPVN[ +H YG EQWNF JCXG
strawberries from Quebec all
year round, it would be great.”
Most of Gravel’s work is being
carried out in collaboration
with industry and government,
combining fundamental and
applied research to answer
URGEKſE EQPEGTPU
“This can sometimes be a
challenge,” says Gravel. “You
want to solve the problems that
growers are facing, but when
[QWŏTG YQTMKPI YKVJ ſXG QT UKZ
growers, the problems are not
always the same. But hopefully
GXGT[QPG YKNN DGPGſV KP VJG GPFŒ
PHOTOS COURTEST Y VALÉRIE GRAVEL
In this age of consumer
concerns about food quality,
safety,
environmental
protection and sustainability,
it is becoming increasing
harder to grow produce that
meets these demands. And
consumers want fresh, tasty
produce all year round! Enter
Valérie Gravel, Macdonald’s
new horticulturalist. Gravel
was born in Quebec, and
studied
agriculture—more
specifically plant science—
at Laval University. For her
post-graduate research, she
worked on biological control in
greenhouse tomatoes, looking
at disease control and plant
response.
Following a post-doc with
Agriculture and Agrifood
Canada, Gravel went on to
mecca for horticulturalist—
Wageningen, in the Netherlands.
There she worked on organic
production of greenhouse
VQOCVQGU CPF OQTG URGEKſECNN[
on prediction models for such
crops.
Gravel’s expertise is in the
area of sustainable horticultural
production systems with a
URGEKſE GORJCUKU QP UJGNVGTGF QT
greenhouse crops. Her research
interests include: nutrient
availability and plant uptake in
organic cropping systems, plant
growth regulation in sustainable
production systems, microbial
interactions within the soilplant-environment continuum,
and biological control of diseases
and pests in sustainable fruit,
vegetable and ornamental crops.
“I would like to take some
of the practices used in organic
agriculture and apply them to
conventional agriculture,” says
Gravel. “We always say that
organic fruits and vegetables
taste better, that they’re
healthier. I want to know if that
is really the case and why?”
TOP: Valérie Gravel setting up tomato trials. ABOVE: A soilless tomato system under high tunnels.
BELOW: Gravel’s research is geared towards extending the growing season for both tomatoes and strawberries.
she co-taught statistical methods,
a compulsory course with
over 100 students. Her portion
involved teaching experimental
design, something that she uses
in her research every day.
“The challenge is to motivate
studentswhoarenotveryfamiliar
with this topic,” says Gravel.
“Fruit and vegetable production
is easy to make interesting. We
can have discussions on certain
topics, hands-on labs, students
get to do things and see things
for themselves. They can taste
the difference in quality and
understand why.”
Teaching horticulture
Gravel is teaching looking
forward to the winter semester
when she will start teaching
vegetable and fruit production.
This past term, she hit her
teaching duties running when
In the long term
“Research in agriculture,
and even in horticulture, has
changed a lot,” says Gravel.
“Before, you used to have your
research project; you would do
your research in your lab. But
now it’s not like that anymore.
Now it’s research with synergy,
which has changed a lot on how
you approach and structure your
research, since your partners
will be the ones making use of
your work in the future.“
QFA’s Farm Food Forums
Great talks about agriculture through videoconferencing
QFA event looks at the loopholes
of Quebec’s land-zoning laws
Megan Throop
Special to the Advocate
The seemingly strict legislation was created in response
to ever-expanding, untamed
urban development on agricultural lands in the mid-1970s.
The legislation was in direct
response to the expropriation
of 100,000 acres of viable farmland for the construction of the
Mirabel Airport near Montreal.
The expropriation was very
controversial as it had the
impact of greatly reducing the
region’s agricultural potential,
thus prompting the protectionist approach found in the legislation. Coming into force in
six waves between 1978 and
1981, the Act respecting the preservation of agricultural land and
agricultural activities designated
legislation’s intended, and unintended consequences and the
complex situations created from
its existence, prompted many
detailed questions. Of particular interest was how the law is
enforced. Ouellet admitted that
resources are limited for the
enforcement of the legislation
and that the CPTAQ relies heavily on the reporting of violations
by citizens. The current “tell-onyour-neighbour” system puts
people living in small communities in a difficult situation if they
wish to see the law’s objectives
fulfilled.
The consequences for violating the law are significant. For
example, Ouellet confirmed that
the CPTAQ has the power to
force the demolition of a structure built in contravention of the
law. The CPTAQ may also seek
The current “tell-on-your-neighbour” system for
enforcing breaches of land-zoning puts people living in
small communities in a difficult situation if they wish to
see the law’s objectives fulfilled.
farmland, or green zones, where
agricultural lands and practices
would be protected. The successive coming into force of the
law meant that different regions
of Quebec became subject to the
law at different times. This had
a great impact on the establishment of acquired rights, an
important concept relating to
pre-existing residential or commercial uses of agricultural land.
Isabelle Ouellet, a lawyer
with the Commission de protection
de territoire agricole du Québec
(CPTAQ), provided an overview of the law for the audience
outlining the prohibitions found
in the law, how agricultural
activities are defined, and the
role of the CPTAQ. For example,
making wine on your farm with
your own grapes is considered
an agricultural activity, while
using another producer’s grapes
is not, and accordingly is prohibited under the law.
Question period following her
presentation revealed that the
law’s impact on landowners is
a very relevant topic for farmers. Personal experience of the
a court order in the event that
their judgements are not being
respected. The result can be a
fine up to $5,000 or jail time.
Questions were also asked
about the acquiring of agricultural lands by non-residents of
Quebec. Such acquisitions are
prohibited under the Act respecting the acquisition of farmland by
non-residents. However, an audience member asked about a case
currently before the CPTAQ
involving the purchase of 8,000
hectares of agricultural lands by
the National Bank of Canada.
Ouellet could not comment on
the case as the CPTAQ is still
investigating the situation.
Although being the umbrella
law under which farmland is
governed, the legislation must
also be treated in unison with
municipal bylaws and other provincial regulations. Applications
received by the CPTAQ are first
subject to the rules established
by municipalities respecting
land-use planning, environmental regulations or the like.
Ouellet stressed the importance
of making verifications at the
PHOTO: DOUGAL RATTRAY
On April 25, the QFA held its last Farm Food
Forum of the year focusing on agricultural laws
in Quebec. The event brought out 59 people from
the farming community interested in learning
about how the Act respecting the preservation
of agricultural land and agricultural activities
affects their rights as land owners.
A QFA presentation held on April 25 brought out dozens of ag producers curious to learn about Quebec’s land-zoning laws. The pioneering
Farm Food Forum series presents a monthly talk that is broadcast live to Community Learning Centres equipped with videoconferencing
technology that allows all attendees to see and hear one another.
municipal level first, before proceeding with an application to
the CPTAQ. It was also indicated that some municipalities
submit collective applications
to have sections of agriculturally designated lands re-zoned
in order to facilitate their own
growth and development.
The CPTAQ’s website is full
of interesting tools and information relating to the legislation
and their mandate, including
an interactive map indicating
the agricultural zoning and
decisions made by the CPTAQ.
Visitors can search for cases
that appeared before CPTAQ
and read the actual judgements
for each. For more information,
visit: http://www.cptaq.gouv.
qc.ca
Megan Throop is a notary and
legal advisor in Chelsea, Quebec.
Tel: 819-827-7771
email: m.throop@notarius.net
QFA’s Farm Food Forums
Great talks about agriculture through videoconferencing
“Rules of the Road” information evening
draws record attendance
QFA’s “Farm Food Forum” held on March 28 attracted a record attendance
of 94 participants, all eager to learn about the laws governing farm vehicles
on roads and highways. The two-hour videoconference connected farmers
in Magog, Campbell’s Bay, Huntington, Lachute, Low and Richmond. QFA
president Chris Judd noted that the topic is a high priority for producers,
remarking that he had heard the forum promoted on the local radio station
in Renfrew, Ontario.
Ivan Hale
QFA Executive Director
The format of the evening was
open-ended discussion. All participants were able to pose questions to Michael Ianniciello and
Mario Seckinger—resource officials from the Société de l’assurance
automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
One SAAQ employee, himself a
farmer, shared his practical experiences as well as his extensive
knowledge of the highway traffic
act. He asked the farm community to have patience with
inspectors because their work is
very complicated. Officers have
considerable leeway in how they
interpret and enforce the laws,
some of which are rumoured to
be changing later this year.
As the evening progressed, it
became clear to everyone that
farmers are extremely fortunate
to be exempt from many laws
that apply to everyone else in
society.
Trucks, trailers
and wagons
An area of great confusion for
many farmers concerned using
pickup trucks to pull wagons on
the road. While this is indeed
permitted, close attention must
be paid to lighting and braking
requirements. If using a slowmoving vehicle sign, farmers
don’t need lights and brakes on
the wagon or implement—providing both the truck and wagon
are owned by an agricultural
producer. However, a truck not
licensed as a farm vehicle that
is pulling a licensed farm trailer
does not have the rights of a
farmer. In such a case, the driver
must respect the rules of the
road as they apply to the general
population.
Load and weight limits are
determined by the tire capacities
of both the truck and wagon,
using formulae developed by the
government. Farmers will find
it difficult to calculate on their
own. What’s more, trailer hitch
ratings are not considered by
police when determining capacity. Stopping power is of paramount concern.
Agricultural producers are
entitled to up to five license
plates on powered vehicles,
such as tractors and farm trucks.
Self-propelled combines and
swathers are exempt and do not
require license plates to go on the
roads. Even automobiles can be
licensed for farm plates. Up to
five wagons can also be licensed
with farm plates. Since farm
licenses are considerably cheaper
than regular plates, this can save
producers up to a thousand dollars a year. Of course, agricultural producers are not allowed
to move license plates between
vehicles. Hay wagons must be
plated if towed on roads. All
farm license plates must be
mounted on the back and be
clearly visible. Failure to comply
results in a $30 fine plus fees—a
total of $52.
When asked whether vehicles
displaying the triangular slowmoving vehicle sign can exceed
40 km/hour on the roads the
answer was no. Higher speeds
require lights and brakes on the
towed vehicle. Also, the triangular slow-moving vehicle sign
is not permitted to be used as a
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
PHOTOS : DOUGAL RATTRAY
sign on gate posts.
A tow vehicle, whether a truck
or tractor, can legally pull up
to two trailers or wagons and
the maximum length is regulated. Every wagon or implement
being towed is required to be
fitted with at least one properlyrated safety chain or cable having sufficient capacity to carry
the load, and it must be securely
attached to a location that can
bear the load in an emergency
situation.
The law permits farm vehicles
with slow-moving vehicle signs
displayed to be passed by drivers on the road, even where there
is a double solid line, providing
they exercise due caution.
Anyone going on the road
with a trailer must ensure that
none of the load will fly out the
top of a wagon or create debris
on the highway. This applies
not only to gravel, sand, hay, and
grain, but also sawdust or wood
chips. The infraction can draw a
$500 fine.
Dangerous materials
The question of handling
fuel and pesticides on roads
and highways also arose at
the forum. While transporting
such materials is allowed, safety measures must be followed
and farmers should check with
Hazards Materials Canada prior
to leaving the farm. Agricultural
producers can carry up to three
cans of fuel in the back of a pickup truck, but each can must be
tied and immobile. Everything
else in the box must be secured
as well.
Participants were reminded
that tractors are to be driven with
all wheels on the road and none
on the shoulder. The officers
commented that common sense
and courtesy should apply and
that farmers should periodically
pull completely off the road and
stop to allow a trail of cars to
pass. Farmers can be fined for
driving on shoulders, but police
are unlikely to issue tickets for
this offense.
Wide combines and certain
other farm machines have special exemptions under the law
and are allowed on roads as long
as they are owned by a farmer
and are less than 7.5 metres wide.
However, they cannot travel on
autoroutes nor are they allowed
to carry loads while on the road.
The QFA’s Farm Food Forum on regulations concerning farm vehicles on public roads drew a record 94 participants at videoconferencing sites in Magog, Campbell’s Bay, Huntington,
Lachute, Low and Richmond.
Tractor lighting
requirements
Farm tractors designed to go
40km/hour or less must have
two headlights and two red tail
lights. (Signal lights and flashers are not required.) Tractors
designed to go faster are
required to have full lighting,
like cars and trucks. Four-way
flashers are not required when
driving on the road. A farmer
can drive a tractor on the road
mind or you’ll find yourself paying dearly. For example, driving
a tractor on the road with a fuel
can in the bucket could result in
a $600 fine. Also, grain augers
having a height exceeding 4.15
metres require special permits to
transport on the road. Also, keep
in mind that livestock trailers
rated over 4,500 kg must pass an
annual inspection.
The traffic act is as thick as a
family bible and not even the
Participants were reminded that tractors are to be driven
with all wheels on the road and none on the shoulder.
at night pulling a loaded forage
wagon having no lights—providing it has a slow-moving
vehicle sign and reflective tape.
Although yellow warning
beacons or strobe lights are not
officially permitted for farm
vehicles, they are now being
tolerated on slow-moving vehicles.
Expansive mistakes
Other things should be kept in
government officers can know all
the special regulations governing
farmers on the province’s roads.
When asked if farm tractors with
loaders are allowed to transport
round bales on the loaders, the
panel’s first response was no.
Then, upon reflection they said
they had better check further.
Want to know the answer? Check
the lengthy (and admittedly confusing) Article 474 of the highway traffic act on the Quebec
government’s website of official publications. The entire
document is in English: http://
www2.publicationsduquebec.
gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/
telecharge.php?type=2&file=
/C_24_2/C24_2_A.html
French-speaking farmers from
the Gatineau area took part in
this QFA forum. Michel Label,
president of the UPA syndicate for the municipality of
La Pêche, and a retired police
officer, said the evening was
extremely worthwhile. “Even I
learned from the presentation,”
Label said following the meeting. “This is an excellent initiative that QFA has undertaken. I
have suggestions on topics to be
covered at future videoconferences and I intend to promote
them widely among producers
in our MRC.”
Next time you jump on the
tractor seat to go out on the road
remember that six people die
on Canada’s roads every day.
Work safe and follow the laws
to avoid more accidents, needless injuries and deaths.
The QFA acknowledges the contribution of La Financière agricole
du Québec in sponsoring the QFA’s
Farm Food Forum series as an
exclusive Partner Sponsor for the
2012/13 season
The QFA acknowledges the contributions of Promutuel and Farm
Credit Canada in sponsoring the
Farm Food Forum series as Title
Sponsors for the 2012/13 season
Partner sponsor
Title sponsor
Veggies and cake make
for a great party!
Angel Food Cake
Cynthia Gunn
Advocate Food Writer
When I was a child, a vegetable at a birthday party was unthinkable. The
less the party treats resembled real food, the better. For those of you who
read last month’s column, please forgive me. I’m speaking of 40 or so years
ago. A homemade cake was good—what cake wasn’t? Lemonade was
good—people then didn’t offer juice to kids every five minutes. A & W root
beer and a store bought cake, however, were the pinnacle of party success.
And the more fake icing in the shape of gigantic roses, the better. If you had
these at your party it meant that you had pestered your mom, and won.
No mother would have dreamed of embarrassing their little darling and
served vegetables at a birthday party. Being sent to your room for bad behaviour would have been less demoralizing. Times have certainly changed, at
least in my neck of the woods. I sense it might have something to do with
the fact that many four- and five-year-olds around here attended a preschool
where raw vegetables accompanied every lunch. Nine wee beings sat side by
side and ate them with pleasure. But I think the trend might extend slightly
beyond my little world.
A few weeks ago my soon-to-be eight-year-old sat down to write out a
list of what food she wanted at her birthday party. After ‘cake (same as last
year)’, she wrote ‘ranch dip, red peppers, cucumbers and carrots’. This was
followed by ‘lemonade’ and ‘popcorn’. I added the Cheesies, but other than
that, I duly followed the list.
Everything was going magnificently well until we noticed the cake had
fallen, not just a bit, but a lot. Always follow your instinct, I silently chided
myself. In my haste I had pulled it from the oven probably five minutes
early. Angel food cake does not forgive for undercooking. We debated making another one, but with four hours to go, not enough eggs, lots still to do,
and a husband working until show time, this seemed like a path rife with
folly. I’ll make a quick batch of back-up cupcakes, I soothed. And no one will
notice the fallen cake once the whipped cream goes on and the meringues are
arranged around it, I said with conviction, while I secretly worried about it
still being gooey inside.
Turns out the cake looked and tasted delicious—maybe not quite as nice
as last year, but there was a happy gaggle of little girls with mouths full of
cream and sweetness. We didn’t even bring out the back-up cupcakes. And
the veggies? Not a stick left.
This recipe originates from Bon Appétit magazine (April
2009). It has a fancy topping as part of the original recipe but I
simply use slightly sweetened whipping cream and decorate
with little meringues, which are of course optional. Fresh
strawberries or raspberries in season would be lovely.
1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup cake flour
1 cup fine sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 1/3 cups egg whites
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
(about 9)
In a medium bowl sift powdered sugar, flour, and salt three
times. Beat egg whites in large bowl until light and frothy.
Add cream of tartar and beat until whites are opaque and soft
peaks form. Gradually add fine sugar, beating until whites
are thick and shiny. Add orange peel and vanilla. Beat just
until blended. Sift 1/4 of flour mixture over whites. Using
large rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into whites.
Repeat with remaining flour mixture in 3 more additions.
Transfer batter to ungreased 10-inch-diameter angel food
cake pan with removable bottom.
Bake at 350°F until golden and springy to touch, about 50
minutes. Immediately invert pan onto work surface if pan
has feet, or invert centre tube of pan onto neck of bottle or
funnel. Cool cake completely. Transfer to platter.
A donation to the Warren Grapes Fund will
help a young person get one step closer to his
or her agricultural dream
The QFA’s Warren Grapes Agricultural Education Fund helps
to promote agricultural and silvicultural education and learning
among the English-speaking farm community of Quebec.
Bursaries are distributed to post-secondary students of agriculture
each fall.
Support the young farmers of tomorrow and give to the Warren
Grapes Fund!
Please make cheques payable to “Warren Grapes Agricultural
Education Fund”. Receipts will be issued for all donations
of $20.00 or more.
QFA
QF
Q
FA
F
A Vi
Vice
ice
cec
e-p
pre
esi
sid
sid
ident
en
ntt Jo
J hn
hn M
McCart
McC
Cart pr
p ese
sents
se
ntss
n
An
Ann
A
nnie
nn
ie G
Gru
rub
ru
bb
bw
wiitth a Wa
wit
Warre
arrr
rre
rre
en Grap
rap
apes
e bur
b rsa
sa y
sar
att the
e QF
QFA
A’ss 20
201
11
1a
an
ann
nn
nual
ua
u
all meeti
a
me
m
eeting.
etittiing
e
ng.
g.
Warren Grapes Fund
c/o Quebec Farmers’ Association
555 boul. Roland-Therrien, Office 255
Longueuil, QC J4H 4E7
Selenium deficient soils affect healthy
muscular function in horses
Angie Beaudet
Advocate Eastern Townships
Correspondent
Although much of our Quebec
soils are deficient in selenium—
therefore resulting in low selenium forage—selenium levels
vary from one area to another
depending on the type of soil,
alkalinity and moisture conditions. In dry areas or periods of
drought, plants generally contain more selenium because roots
reach deeper into the soil.
Selenium, an element found
in the soil, is absorbed by plants,
which are then ingested by horses
and other herbivores. It is essential to maintaining good health
and acts as an antioxidant (in
combination with vitamin E) that
ensures proper muscle function.
As a result of low selenium levels, horses, along with other farm
animals, can develop deficiencies that lead to muscular health
problems.
PHOTO: ANGIE BEAUDET
Symptoms
The quantity of selenium in forage—which is essential for healthy muscular function—is
determined by the amount found in the soil and varies depending on the type of soil, the
alkalinity and the moisture content.
The symptoms of mild selenium deficiency are fairly subtle
and can easily be overlooked.
Sometimes the only sign is a
slight stiffness in the horse’s gait
caused by sore muscles.
In adult horses, “the problem
becomes more evident with moderate to severe deficiencies,” says
horse veterinarian Pierre Tardif.
“The horse can become extremely stiff and reluctant to walk,
have short painful strides, sweat
profusely or become unable to
move altogether.”
Myopathy, or muscle disease,
(including non-exertional rhabdomyolysis, more commonly
known as tying up or Monday
morning disease), is the main
symptom of selenium deficiency.
Characterized by painful muscle
spasms, the disease causes muscles to become hard and cramped
and can also cause shaking or
trembling.
Mares that had selenium-deficient diets during gestation can
also give birth to foals presenting
muscular problems, which can
die suddenly due to myocardial
complications.
Long-term effects
“A marked selenium deficiency leads to the degeneration of
muscle tissue,” says Tardif. “In
the long run, it isn’t the muscle
damage itself that ends up killing
the horse, but rather the fact that
the degenerated tissue passes
through the kidneys,” eventually
causing kidney failure.
“In more severe rhabdomyolysis episodes, evidence of this can
be observed in the horse’s urine,
which has a very dark, blackish color,” notes the Victoriaville
vetrinarian.
For this reason, finding out if
the cause is indeed selenium deficiency is the key to correcting the
nutritional imbalance, thus preventing further degeneration and
maintaining healthy muscles.
Testing and supplementing
Horses need about 0.1mg selenium per kg dry feed matter per
day to maintain proper muscular function. Therefore, knowing the total amount of selenium
a horse is ingesting daily (hay,
pasture, feed, supplements, etc.),
will help determine whether
the horse is getting the proper
amount.
Two blood tests can accurately
be used to confirm a diagnosis
of low selenium; elevated serum
CK and AST (muscle enzymes)
determine that the horse has had
a rhabdomyolysis episode in the
last few weeks and low whole
blood selenium concentrations
confirm a selenium deficiency.
“Normal blood selenium levels
range from 0.125 to 0.250 ppm,”
says Tardif. “And although many
commercial feeds contain selenium, they don’t usually provide
enough—sometimes only providing 25 per cent of the horse’s
needs.”
“The only way to ensure
healthy selenium levels is
through the horse’s diet,” notes
Tardif—which is why it is sometimes necessary to add a vitamin
E and selenium supplement to
achieve healthy levels.
More is not better
Systematically feeding extra
selenium does not ensure adequate selenium levels, as this
trace nutrient has a low threshold to toxicity. Only a few extra
ppm can be deadly. Symptoms
of chronically high selenium levels include; hair loss, especially
of the mane and tail, along with
soft, cracked hooves that chip
easily.
Because soils in certain areas
are bare of selenium, it is important to know how much your
horse is receiving in order to balance this essential nutrient carefully and ensure healthy muscular function.
Angie Beaudet grew up in the picturesque village of Ulverton, where
her passion for horses led her to
pursue her studies in the Equine
Technologies program at the AgriFood Institute in La Pocatière. She
has worked many years in the field,
specialising in horse training, and
is also a graduate from the Institute
of Children’s Literature in West
Redding, Connecticut.
DEVOTION TO DAIRY
Macdonald passes the torch
to next generation
Paul Meldrum
Manager
Macdonald Campus Farm
significant contributions in their
own communities and in their
respective industries. Many of
them have surpassed their teachers and the Macdonald College
Farm in their abilities and accomplishments; we celebrate their
achievements and consider that if
they are successful, then we have
done our job.
We must not forget about succession planning, ensuring
the right people are in place to continue the business,
the farm, or in our case the institution.
udders, leg quality, dairy strength
and production levels have all
dramatically improved. What
was thought of as “a good cow”
years ago might be considered a
cull today; such is the distance we
have come in such a short little
while.
There have been some milestones at Macdonald in that time:
a Master Breeder shield, the first
breeder in Quebec to use embryo
transfer, and the host of many
field days, provincial picnics,
judging schools and 4-H events.
But the most important contribution to the Holstein fraternity, and
to the agriculture community at
large, has been the education and
mentoring of thousands of young
people who have gone on to make
At the award presentation, I
was somewhat surprised and
(to be honest) a bit proud, when
Holstein Canada CEO Ann
Louise Carson, herself a graduate of Macdonald College, had all
“Mac” grads in the room stand
up. It was impressive to see such
a large number representing
Quebec, Ontario and the Maritime
provinces. It is a testament to
the impact of Macdonald College,
and the quality of people who
have passed through its doors, not
to mention the barns and fields!
Maintaining an enterprise for a
century is in itself quite an accomplishment. The Nova Scotia
Agricultural School also received
a “Century of Holsteins” award
along with some family owned
farms. To keep an enterprise
operating continuously for this
length of time requires committed, dedicated people who have
vision, and who understand
that the business does not really
belong to them; they are charged
with the task of caring for the
infrastructure and the land so it
will be available for future generations.
So while it is my “mug” you
see in the picture, the reason I am
standing there is because of those
who were here before me: Gordon
Beaulieu, passionate dairy herdsman for 25 years, a director of
our local Holstein Club and of
Holstein Quebec, and a 4-H
leader to countless young people; Reudi Dallenbach, the Farm
Manager who knew the value of
good people and hired Gordie,
and who had the foresight to
begin an ag education program
for school children; Jim Houston,
who managed Macdonald
College Farm for decades, and
his father before him; Dr. Robert
Broughton, the engineering
professor who accomplished a
feat of genius by draining the
Macdonald College Farm, and
who, to this day, continues to
donate his services and mentor
students; Dr. John Moxley, who
started the “Macdonald College
Milk Recording Program” with
Norm Campbell and some students in a basement office, which
has now grown to what we know
as Valacta; and the many other
professors, Deans and employees, far too numerous to mention,
who have all worked to ensure
Macdonald College remains viable and relevant.
Like our predecessors, those of
us who hold positions of responsibility are in fact stewards. We
must position the enterprise to
embrace new technologies and
realities, knowing when to implement changes, sometimes painful, and having the strength of
character to make those tough
decisions. We must not forget about succession planning,
ensuring the right people are in
place to continue the business,
the farm, or in our case the institution. It is not about ego or
accolades—it is about securing
something important and worthwhile for the next generation.
Paul Meldrum is the manager
of McGill University’s Macdonald
Campus Farm. In the past, he has
run successful dairy operations in
both Ontario and New York State,
hosted and produced CJOH TV’s
“Valley Farmer,” and has been
heard on agriculture reports for
CBC Radio Noon in Ottawa.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HOLSTEIN CANADA
Macdonald College is the
proud recipient of Holstein
Canada’s “Century of Holsteins”
award. The Farm, originally
started by the college’s founder, Sir William Macdonald, was
recognized in April at Holstein
Canada’s national convention in
Niagara Falls for having been
a member for 100 consecutive years. Macdonald College
Farm began breeding registered
Holstein dairy cattle in 1912,
five years after the college was
established. The original herd
was Ayrshires, who continued
to make up about half of the
herd until the 1960s. Today,
all of the research is performed
with Holsteins, but there is still
a good representation of quality Ayrshires, as well as Jerseys,
Brown Swiss and a couple of
Canadiennes.
There has been, of course, a
myriad of changes in agriculture
in the last century. Things we take
for granted such as tractors, gutter cleaners and manure pumps,
milking machines and now robotic milkers, GPS systems, GMO
crops, better drainage—the list is
phenomenal. We have seen huge
improvements in productivity of
our soils, crops and livestock. The
Holstein cow herself has been and
continues to be refined. When I
look at pictures of high scoring
cows from 20 or 30 years ago, the
Advocate columnist Paul Meldrum receives Holstein Canada’s “Century of Holsteins” award on behalf of Macdonald Campus. (Left to right) Harry Van Der Linden, Holstein Canada director for Nova Scotia, John Buckley, director for
Ontario, Paul Meldrum, Holstein Canada CEO Ann Louise Carson and Holstein Canada President Glen McNeil.
The science of cow behaviour
Nicole Boudreau
Organic Agriculture Centre of
Canada
Trevor DeVries specializes in
the behaviour of dairy cows, and
is now applying his expertise to
organic dairies.
DeVries was born in British
Columbia, a province that is
perhaps better known for its
fruit production than its dairies. Nonetheless, B.C. is home to
around 500 dairy farms, mostly
found in the Fraser Valley, as
well as in the B.C. Interior and on
Vancouver Island. With a family connection to the dairy industry—the dairy farm owned by his
grandfather is still operated by
his extended family—it should
come as no surprise that DeVries
developed a keen interest in animal science that was complemented by University of British
Columbia’s (UBC) active dairy
research program. There, his PhD
thesis examined the effect of bunk
feed management and design on
the feeding and social behaviour
of dairy cows.
These days, DeVries focuses his
research on the feeding behaviour of dairy cattle, examining the
effects of housing and nutrition
management on cow behaviour.
To do so, he observes cows as they
feed, noting things like the size of
their meals, how fast they eat and
what they sort out of their food,
and then explores how it all relates
back to the cows’ health, welfare
and productivity. As an associate professor at the University of
rs
e
Lead
in
their community!
Guelph’s Kemptville Campus, he
also has other research projects
that explore topics such as the
interaction between housing, cow
behaviour and mastitis, or the
“modern” topic of robotic milking.
DeVries is also involved in
a research project that is a part
of the Organic Science Cluster.
When he became involved in the
project “Assessment of health,
welfare and milk composition on
organic and conventional dairy
farms”, it was his first foray into
research on dairy farms under
organic management. The project
involves measurements of animal
welfare, milk quality, and mastitis rates in both conventional and
organic dairy farms.
“There are not as many differences as people think there
are,” comments DeVries when
invited to point out the differences between organic and conventional management systems.
“We visited many farms for our
project, and one of the biggest
differences that I noted is the
feeding practices. You have much
more forage and use of pasture
in organic systems, which can
translate into lower production in
those herds. There is also greater
variability in the approaches to
production under organic management. This might be related to
limited options available to treat
cows, and thus the greater need
to prevent certain illnesses from
happening,” he adds.
DeVries also considers that
lower productivity may be linked
to genetics. “In conventional
systems, the majority of producers utilize Holstein cows, which
have been bred for higher production and intake capacity, but
do not graze as well. They may
be genetically geared to produce
more than what they can actually consume on a ration higher
in forage. In organic production,
there tends to be a wider variety
of breeds utilized. More research
is needed with these other breeds
to optimize production in these
systems”.
The observations made over
the course of DeVries’ Organic
Science Cluster study suggest
that in the spring, after the winter feeding period, conventionally-raised cows exhibit better
body condition scores than their
organically raised counterparts.
However, body condition scores
under both management systems
were equivalent after the summer.
“In larger herds, cows are not
tied up in stalls. They are housed
in free stalls where they can
exercise and walk around. I was
surprised with the percentage of
cows kept in tie stalls in organic
systems,” comments DeVries.
He goes on to confirm that the
dairy cattle Code of Practice for
Care and Handling recommends
providing opportunities for daily
exercise. “This is definitely a good
recommendation, but you need
the appropriate environment,”
observes DeVries.
DeVries also recognizes that
gentle handling matters in both
PHOTO: COURTESY OF OACC
An interview with Dr. Trevor DeVries
“It is an art and skill to know how the cattle react to your behaviour, how to position your
body so that you could effectively move and handle them without having to be forceful at
all or aggressive,” says organic dairy researcher Trevor DeVries.
systems. “Proper handling of
dairy cattle is a trained skill that
a lot of people could improve—it
is an art and skill to know how
the cattle react to your behaviour,
how to position your body so that
you could effectively move and
handle them without having to be
forceful at all or aggressive.”
While DeVries’ animal welfare
research under the umbrella of the
Organic Science Cluster will soon
be completed, data that will be
used to assess the impact of management systems on milk quality
are still being compiled. “There is
a variability in the incidence rate
of mastitis in both systems, and
we need to do further analysis
to look at what might be specific
in those systems that influence
those incidence rates. The rates
are similar, but are influenced by
different factors,” adds DeVries.
This livestock scientist, who
appreciates drinking a cold glass
of milk and likes trying different
types of cheeses, feels that he
can rest assured when he knows
that the cows producing these
tasty and nutritious products are
happy, and is working to ensure
that this is the case.
This article was written by Nicole
Boudreau, Organic Federation of
Canada, on behalf of the OACC
with funding provided by Canada’s
Organic Science Cluster (a part of
the Canadian Agri-Science Clusters
Initiative of Agriculture and AgriFood Canada’s Growing Forward
Policy Framework). The Organic
Science Cluster is a collaborative
effort led jointly by the OACC, the
Organic Federation of Canada and
industry partners. For more information: oacc@dal.ca or 902-893-7256.
The QFA extends a warm welcome to the following individuals, businesses and organizations
who have either renewed their memberships or who have joined the QFA family for the first time.
Your membership is greatly appreciated. Together we are supporting and strengthening
the English-speaking rural community in Quebec.
Charles Alexander
Thomas Esterman
Randy Kidder
John & Christine Robinson
Gerard Carbonneau
John Fox
Charles Lamb
Andrew Simms
Ruth Cleary
Wanda Gibson
Steven Latulipe
Roy Copeland
David Greig
Edward Lemieux
Ron Strutt
Leslie Thompson
Dairy Processors Association of
Bob Griffin
Canada
Jennifer, Dennis & Arlene Hayes Barry Moffatt
Gib Drury
Kenneth Herman
Malcolm Orr
Brain Tubman
Victor Drury
Richard Hornby
Keith Rennie
Henry Wilson
Raymond & Donna McConnell
Chantal Tie
To become a QFA member, clip out our membership form on page 2,
or call 450-679-0540 ext. 8536
A first step towards the revival of Colbex?
A group of beef producers are
contemplating investing in the
revival of the Levinoff-Colbex
cull cattle abattoir, in the form of
a cooperative.
Presently in bankruptcy,
Levinoff-Colbex ceased activities almost one year ago on
May 25, 2012. The brutal competition in the cull cattle market,
along with a reduction in animal
volumes led to the demise of the
business, acquired in 2005 by
the Fédération des producteurs de
bovins du Québec (FPBQ).
Over the past several months,
farmers in the ChaudièresAppalaches region have “been
on a crusade” to find support
to restart the abattoir, according to Paul Doyon, president
of the Fédération de l’Union des
producteurs agricoles de la Beauce,
accompanied by another farmer
in favour of renewal effort, in an
interview with the farm weekly
La Terre de chez nous.
The farmers have already
met with the previous operators of the abattoir, namely
Investissement Québec (LevinoffColbex’s major creditor), the
plant’s employees’ union and
other private investors, including an important meat distribu-
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
Julie Mercier
A group of farmers has recently launched a voluntary initiative in an effort to revive the activities of the Levinoff-Colbex cull-cattle abattoir.
de-Wendover to discuss a possible revival plan. A provisional
board of directors was formed,
consisting of seven members. By
taking these first steps, the producers hope to prove to all eventual partners the seriousness of
their intentions.
tor. “Everyone asks the same
question—will the producers be
on board? Will there be enough
cows?” explained Doyon.
On April 30, about 40 dairy
and beef farmers from all regions
of the province met on the site
of the business in Saint-Cyrille-
Their business plan, drawn
up with help of the Societé de
développement économique de
Drummondville, is based on voluntary membership in the cooperative. The economic breakeven
point has been established at
1,000 to 1,200 head per week.
“It is still at an embryonic
stage and I cannot yet say if it
will work—but we have to see if
farmers are interested becoming
members of the cooperative,”
concluded Doyon.
LTCN 2013-05-08
Great quality maple syrup from 2013 season
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
Pierre-Yvon Bégin
A high level of sugar in the sap of this year’s harvest has lead to a superior quality maple
syrup
The 2013 maple syrup harvest
is of exceptional quality, as a
result of a beautiful summer followed by favourable weather for
the harvest this spring. Maple
producers interviewed by the
farm weekly La Terre de chez nous
all agreed that this recent sugaring season could go down in history for its unique flavour.
“It is rare that we get a season
with such a flavourful taste—
that typical maple flavour—continuing right from the start to
the end of the season,” declared
Claude Roy, a producer from
Nantes in the Eastern Townships.
He recalled that in some years,
this very particular taste could
be found in only about five per
cent of the production. In 2013,
he noted that over half of his
harvest had that unique flavour.
“We had a beautiful summer last
year,” he added, explaining that
sunny weather is good for sugar
production by the maple trees.
“With minimal snow cover, the
soil also froze well. This is why
we could continue to boil for
so long. At one point, we were
making up to 100 gallons per day
with 11,000 taps.”
Across the Townships, he indicated that yields were very good,
with an average of about 3.5 lb/
tap. Based on information from
other producers in the region,
“everyone should have a yield
that exceeds their production
quotas.” This maple producer
closed down his operation on
April 23.
Serge Beaulieu, president of the
Fédération des producteurs acéricoles
du Québec (FPAQ) also acknowledged that the 2013 harvest was
of exceptional quality, “like
we’ve never seen before.” He
noted that most of the syrup produced fell into the AA and A categories. According to him, very
few producers had syrup in the
VR5 industrial category. “Mother
Nature did a good job this year,”
he declared. “It compensates for
last year, where we had to delve
into our inventories from previous years to meet the demand for
AA, A and B categories. In fact,
we ran out of AA syrup.”
Beaulieu believes that the 2013
harvest, although somewhat variable from one region to the next,
will be enough to meet all market
demand. He estimates that for the
Montérégie region, the production figures should be about 3.5
to 3.8 pounds per tap over a 29
day run. “The sap was very sweet
this year,” he affirmed. “This is
one of the reasons why the syrup
has such a nice color and a better
taste.”
Onil Beaulieu, a producer in
Saint-Paul-d’Abbotsford, esti-
mates that for most maple bushes, the 2013 season is comparable
to that of 2009. In this area of
the Montérégie, the average yield
could be around 3 lb/tap. A few
colder areas were somewhat disappointing, including at his own
sugar bush. “We could feel a cold,
northwest wind,” he affirmed.
In the Laurentians, the harvest season ended around
April 25, while in the LowerSaint-Lawrence and the Gaspé
regions, it continued until about
April 30.
Maple sap
As an experiment, several
thousand litres of maple sap
were sterilized this spring, in
order to market them as such.
Following research sponsored by
the maple producers, a new process now allows the maple sap
to be stored for up to 18 months.
Indeed, this could lead to sap
becoming a promising newcomer
to the very lucrative organic and
natural-food market. A recent
agreement between the producers’ federation and the Conseil
de l’industrie de l’érable is now
awaiting approval by the Régie
des marchés agricoles et alimentaires
du Québec. A green light from the
Régie would allow maple sap to
be sold in stores.
LTCN 2013-05-01
We need a new approach
to the Agricultural Operations Regulation
the Règlement sur les exploitations agricoles [“Agricultural
Operations Regulation” or REA
in French], as well as for other
regulations falling under the
EQA.
First introduced in 2002, the
REA defined a new approach to
combat non-point source pollution from farmland, specifically
by aiming for a phosphorus balance in the soil. It also specified
strict rules for livestock-raising
sites, for the storage, elimination and use of manure and for
the removal of livestock from
watercourses and streambanks.
Marcel Groleau
UPA President
As a follow-up to the strengthening of the Environment
Quality Act (EQA) in 2011, a
new series of modifications
are now being prepared for
Since 2004, the REA also prohibits any increases of cultivated land in designated degraded
watersheds, which translates
to over 400 municipalities in
Quebec. Since then, many practices have been implemented by
farmers to reduce their phosphorus emissions. Currently,
more than 8,500 farm businesses are active members of
77 environment advisory clubs,
which are doing an excellent
job. Soil conservation practices
have also greatly evolved, such
as minimum tillage, direct seeding and various hydro-agricultural structures.
In spite of this progress, the
agricultural sector is presently
the only sector plagued by the
moratorium. Yet, phosphorus
discharges are not unique to
our activity sector. In fact, while
one hectare of cropland produces an average of between one
and two kg of phosphorus, one
hectare assigned to residential
activity generates about 10 kg.
Nevertheless, there is no moratorium on residential or industrial development in these 400
municipalities. It seems that all
sectors may continue to develop
while respecting the principles
of sustainable development,
except for the agricultural sector. This is what is unacceptable,
especially in the fact that, each
year, the agricultural zone loses
land that is converted to other
uses. Consequently, the UPA is
calling on Quebec’s Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
and the Ministry of Sustainable
Development, Environment,
Québec (FADQ), as well as to
the Farm Property Tax Credit
Program is conditional on their
compliance to the provisions
of the REA. Furthermore, the
amounts stipulated for monetary penalties in cases of noncompliance are sufficiently dissuasive.
Two possible solutions are
therefore proposed by the UPA.
The first, which we think is
the most logical, consists of
exempting agriculture from the
proposed AMPs, in view of the
penalties already in place. The
second would be to reduce the
monetary amount of the penalties applicable to agriculture
and to implement measures to
guarantee that the new regime
would be administered with
discretion. For example, the
issuance of particularly high
fines for relatively minor mistakes, like an error appearing in
the manure spreading register,
would be inappropriate, even
excessive, in many respects.
Parks and Wildlife to bring a
stop to this unfair situation and
to revise the provisions that
prohibit the increase of cultivated lands.
Over and above the question of the moratorium, the
proposed changes to the REA
include stiff fines and even
prison time for certain infractions considered more serious.
It also provides for new administrative and monetary penalties (AMPs) and punishments
in cases of non-compliance.
As I previously mentioned,
all of these modifications stem
from the adoption of measures
to strengthen the Environment
Quality Act in 2011. Moreover,
as we indicated at the time, it is
not necessary to add additional
AMPs for the agricultural sector
because the penalties already
included in the REA are sufficiently severe. Remember that
the principle of eco-conditionality is already being applied in
the agricultural sector, where
the admissibility of farmers to
many programs administered
by La Financière agricole du
LTCN 2013-05-15
The UPA wants to be a partner
in Quebec’s rural policy
The third edition of Quebec’s
National Rural Policy should recognize the importance of agricultural and forestry activities
in rural communities and make
them a pivotal part of its implementation. Indeed, in a recent
letter sent to the Ministère des
Affaires municipales, des Régions et
de l’Occupation des territoires, the
Union des producteurs agricoles du
Québec (UPA) insisted that it be
recognized as a full partner in
the province’s rural policy.
“Moreover, it seems that the
limited participation of the UPA
at various levels (partners’ committee, working groups, etc)
must be corrected, considering the obvious importance of
agriculture and forestry in rural
development,” wrote the UPA in
its position paper. It added that
it has transformed its structure
(UPA of the Future) to correspond to the territories of the
Regional Municipal Counties (or
MRCs).
To date, the Ministry of
Municipal Affairs has received
about 15 official position papers.
The partners’ committee, which
includes Solidarité rurale du
Québec, the Association des CLD
and the two municipal unions, is
already working on the next ver-
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
Pierre-Yvon Bégin
The UPA emphasized the importance of agriculture and forestry for the rural economy, while asking for a seat on the Partners’ Committee
at Quebec’s National Rural Policy.
sion of the policy. A draft copy is
expected by the end of the year,
to come into effect by April 2014.
For the UPA, the next rural
policy should underscore the
socio-economic contributions of
agriculture and forestry. Indeed,
in May 2011, 29,437 agricultural
businesses generated revenues
of some eight billion dollars and
provided jobs for 53,600 people,
according to the union. As other
obvious contributions, it mentioned that farms and woodlots
have accepted snowmobile and
all-terrain vehicle trails, power
lines, oil and gas pipelines and
windmills on their property.
Therefore, the UPA believes
that the future national policy
should also support the preparation and implementation of
Agricultural Zone Development
Plans (known in French as
PDZAs). In addition, it should
identify and propose potential avenues of development to
ensure the maintenance, protection and use of the agricultural
zone and agricultural activities.
The UPA also declared that
its participation would “enhance
the identification of the needs
and subsequent proposals.”
The future policy should be an
opportunity for increased consistency. In this regard, it cited
the example of the Agricultural
Operations Regulation (or REA),
which limits land-clearing in
so-called degraded watersheds,
while allowing it for new residential, commercial and other
developments in the same watersheds.
In another example, it cited
the Farm Property Tax Credit
Program, administered by the
Ministère de l’Agriculture, des
Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation
du Québec (MAPAQ), which is
sometimes used by municipalities to provide tax rebates for
residential development.
Finally, the UPA proposed that
the future rural policy should
provide increased budgets for
agricultural and forestry development and activities, particularly with regard to food processing.
LTCN 2013-05-15
A massive influx of foreign workers
The arrival of spring does not
only mean the start of a new
seeding period. It is also the time
where Mexican and Guatemalan
workers arrive with their baggage at Montreal’s Trudeau
International Airport, in hopes
of earning enough money to
support their families.
“We are presently going
through a very intense period,”
explained Nunsio Notaro, president of the Board of Directors
for the Fédération des enterprises
en recrutement de main-d’œuvre
étrangère (FERME) [Foreign agricultural workers recruitment
foundation]. During April and
May, over 4,000 workers with
remarkable stamina will start
to work on Quebec market-gardening and dairy farms, as well
as in greenhouse operations and
food processing businesses.
“We have two charter flights
coming in per week with Toca
Airlines and daily flights
with AeroMexico,” explained
Notaro. Representatives from
his organization ensure that
the temporary workers get
through Canadian Customs
without any snags. Once these
formalities are completed, the
workers then meet with their
Quebec employers.
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
Yvon Laprade
A typical daily scene in a field where temporary foreign workers are harvesting radishes.
Negative perception
Notaro, himself the owner
of Ferme E. Notaro et Fils in
Sherrington, also hires workers from abroad. He admits
that he could not operate his
farm without them. “This is a
very hard-working and efficient workforce,” he explained.
“We bring in foreign workers
because we are not able to meet
our needs with local workers.
We do not do this to ‘steal’ jobs
from Quebeckers.”
However, as do many other
farmers who count of foreign
workers, he fears the negative
effects of the Harper govern-
ment’s reform of the employment insurance program. “We
are always on our guard,” he
confessed. He also added: “I get
angry when I see how Ottawa
perceives us. I do not like the
way the federal government is
trying to force Quebec’s unemployed workers on us, when
they have no desire to work on
our farms.”
Blocked work visas
Moreover, farmers should not
believe that they are out of the
woods yet. For three weeks in
April, the Conservative government stopped issuing work
visas to Guatemalans coming to
work in Quebec. Ottawa decided to review the rules regarding
the issuing of such work visas.
It was not until mid-April that
the situation returned to normal and the Guatemalan workers could board planes for their
flight to Quebec.
“This does not mean that
everything
is
completely
resolved,” warned Notaro. “We
are being watched closely by the
government when it comes to
hiring for eign workers.”
Nevertheless, he expects
that over 8,000 Mexican and
Guatemalan workers will work
an average of 20 weeks in
Quebec’s agricultural sector in
2013. It is not impossible that
Columbian workers will also
join them to harvest radishes,
cucumbers and other vegetables. “Negotiations are underway with the Columbian government, which is interested in
sending its workers to Quebec,”
confirmed the FERME organization’s president.
In comparison, Ontario farmers and food processors bring
in about 14,000 foreign workers,
mainly from Jamaica.
LTCN 2013-05-01
A collective approach to Prime-Vert
A change in direction is in
store for Prime-Vert. The new
2013-2018 version of the program will favour a collective
approach to achieve future environmental gains in the field.
Quebec’s minister of agriculture, François Gagnon, speaking in Saint-Ours on the banks
of the Richelieu River, invited
farmers to group together in
order to have their projects subsidized by up to 90 per cent of
their costs.
“The program will also give
priority to preventative measures in the field,” declared the
minister. “With a budget of $173
million over five years, during a
period when the government is
broke, this certainly has to be
appealing,” he added.
Gendron explained that
Quebec will help farmers
reduce both direct and nonpoint source pollution originating from agricultural activities.
For example, two or three producers with a common ditch or
watercourse could join forces to
establish certain soil conservation structures, to widen buffer
strips or plant windbreaks. An
individual approach will also be
permitted, with financial sup-
port at 70 per cent of admissible
costs.
Farmers will also be able to
obtain financial assistance for
the purchase of equipment
to reduce pesticide use and
for covering solid and liquid
manure storages. Installations
that favor biodiversity will also
be supported, as well as aeration of irrigation ponds and
alternative structures for beef
cattle, such as wintering pens.
The agriculture minister
wishes to encourage groups of
farmers to work together on
watershed-based conservation
projects. In a sub-component of
the program, there is support for
the characterization and preparation of collective projects on
a watershed basis. These programs must be presented either
by an environmental advisory
club, a watershed management
organization or a farmers’ association. A regional or interregional approach will also be
prioritized.
Furthermore, a major change
was announced for the agroenvironmental advisory clubs,
which will now be subsidized
on a per-service basis, with the
financial support being reduced
from 90 to 40 per cent over five
years. However, the minister
promised to make certain adjustments for some clubs whose
existence might be at risk.
“There is a wide variety of
admissible actions –we must
now wait for the money to
become available,” declared
Yvon Lamy, president of the
Comité des presidents for the 78
advisory clubs in Quebec.
Prime-Vert has a budget of $32.2
million for 2013-2014, a reduction
of $8 million compared to last
year. In the program that ended
last March 31, almost 60 per cent
of the budget was spent on regu-
latory compliance. In 2011-2012,
MAPAQ invested $38 million
to support 435 projects involving the construction of manure
storages. Presently, 96 per cent
of farm businesses have proper
manure storage facilities.
LTCN 2013-05-15
PHOTO: PIERRE-YVON BÉGIN/TCN
Pierre-Yvon Bégin
Quebec Minister of Agriculture François Gendron announces the new Prime-Vert program.
Property tax credit program
has reached its limit
Marcel Groleau
UPA President
Quebec’s agricultural property
tax credit program has reached
an impasse. The cost has jumped
from $60 million in 1999 to $121
million in 2012. Several factors are the reasons of this rise,
but the two main ones are the
increase in the value of farmland
and the manner in which municipalities apply the taxation rules.
For farmers, this property tax
credit program is very important
and must be applied without
regard to the size or location
of their farms. However, this is
no longer the case for a growing number of them—in fact,
the number of refusals has gone
from 384 in 2007 to 731 in 2012.
The method of establishing the
value of a farm is the main reason
for this situation. In Quebec, this
method is based on farm sale
transactions registered during
the three-year period covered by
the assessment role. The evaluation excludes intergenerational
transactions, which account for
the majority of farmland transactions. These latter transactions
are, without a doubt, much more
representative of the real agronomic value of the farms. No
farm could be transferred to the
next generation at the prices
obtained through the assessment
method. Indeed, the current
method overestimates the value
of the farms, thus increasing the
cost of the tax credit program and
excluding many farmers.
Although certainly not unique,
one very convincing case is that
of the Proteau farm in Beauport.
In this municipality, a developer bought up several farms in
the green zone with the aim of
eventually using them for residential development. As a result,
the assessment of the Proteau
farm jumped by 558 per cent this
year, and this dairy farmer will
be excluded from the tax credit
program next year, since he will
no longer respect the criterion of
$8 of revenue per $100 evaluation. For several years, the UPA
has been demanding that this
criterion be abolished, since it no
longer represents reality.
The second problem with the
system has to do with the transfer of the taxation load from the
residential sector to the agricultural sector. It is well-known and
documented that municipalities
use the farm tax credit program,
administered by the Ministère
de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries
et de l’Alimentation du Québec
(MAPAQ), to reduce the taxes
imposed on their citizens.
By including the costs of services such as police, recreational activities and many other
expenses in the property tax base,
municipalities thereby divert
funds meant for agriculture.
Successive provincial governments have closed their eyes to
this practice until now, but it is
no longer possible to continue.
The items admissible to the program should be clearly identified
and enforced. Furthermore, since
2007, the Act respecting municipal
taxation allows municipalities to
apply a distinct taxation rate to
agricultural properties, which is
lower than the residential rate.
However, in 2012, only 13 munic-
ipalities of the 270 eligible ones
chose to apply this option.
The farm property tax credit
program has reached its limit. The
costs have doubled since 1999.
The system of tax assessment for
farms has become unworkable.
The effect of land speculation on
the price of farms, which the present evaluation system “captures”
in its entirety, will put even more
pressure on the program. If nothing is done, more and more farmers will find themselves excluded
and the rate of reimbursement
will also decrease, since the maximum allowable increase over two
consecutive years has been fixed
at five per cent. Such a situation is
unacceptable—thus the need for
the government to sit down with
the UPA in order to find longterm solutions, particularly since
it is presently in the process of
reviewing its fiscal pact with the
municipalities.
LTCN 2013-05-08
Restaurant owners get mozzarella
at lower cost
Jean-Charles Gagné
Effective June 1, 2013, Dairy
Farmers of Canada will sell milk,
destined for the fabrication of
mozzarella cheese that is used in
restaurants to make fresh pizzas,
at a reduced price (five to ten per
cent reduction).
The Canadian Dairy Commission has, in fact, created a new
class of milk (3d), in order to satisfy a request made several years
ago by the Canadian Restaurant
and Foodservices Association
(CRFA), which has 30,000
members in this country. The
Canadian restaurant industry
purchases $2.5 billion of dairy
products annually. Currently, it
is estimated that 35,000 tonnes
of mozzarella cheese are needed
each year to make fresh pizzas
in Canada.
As recently as last February,
the Association was crying out
against a slight increase in the
price of milk destined for making cheese, yogurt and butter,
as well as against the price of
dairy products maintained artificially high by Canada’s dairy
policy. “Ten years ago, we were
ready to throw out the baby
(supply management) with the
wash water,” declared Lefebvre.
“Today, we realize that it is
possible to come to some sort
of agreement. Therefore, we
will now adopt a partnership
approach instead of putting our
efforts into combating supply
management.” He also mentioned in passing that all of the
ministers he approached had
defended supply management.
The federal minister of agriculture, Gerry Ritz, underlined
that “this improved collaboration within the industry value
chain will help to expand the
markets for farmers, while at the
same time preserving the competitiveness of Canada’s restau-
rant industry.”
Dairy Farmers of Canada’s
president, Wally Smith, also
added that “it is the sincere
hope of farmers that this new
milk class will lead to increased
sales of cheese in the restaurant
pizza category.”
LTCN 2013-03-27
This “good news” has caused
the CFRA, a sworn adversary of
supply management, to change
its attitude and become a partner with the Canadian dairy
industry. “We are very pleased
with this agreement, even
though it took several years,”
declared Jean Lefebvre, the
association’s vice-president for
governmental affairs in Quebec.
“This announcement will bring
reduced costs to restaurant operators and will lead to more sales
of dairy products to our clients.”
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
From adversary to partner
It is estimated that 35,000 tonnes of mozzarella cheese are needed each year to make fresh pizzas in Canada.
Award-winning journalism!
Several stories from the Quebec Farmers’ Advocate are up for awards at next month’s Better Newspapers Awards, administered
by the Quebec Community Newspapers Association.
Below, a story we originally ran in our April issue that has been nominated for “Best Agricultural Story” by Claudia Villemaire.
Congratulations, Claudia! And good luck!
Montérégie rare bird breeds devotee
keeps hope alive
Fowl of all kinds benefit from Bernard Desourdy’s courage…
Claudia Villemaire
Advocate Eastern Townships
Correspondent
Saint-Pie-de-Bagot - This is
corn country. Hundreds of acres
of flat land where the grain and
silage corn that is slated to be
processed into fuel grows lush
and plentiful.
Range roads dissect this area of
the Montérégie neatly, opening
onto farmstead yards, corrals,
silos and bunkers more numerous than a lone driver can count.
Horses, large and small, lounge
in corrals near some buildings,
and other farms show signs that
cattle have been wintering in
these older buildings.
But we’re not looking for fourlegged friends this day. Our
challenge is finding Bernard
Desourdy and his soulmate
Christiane at their home near
the village. This is the day we
meet some very special feathered friends, proud inhabitants
of the Desourdy property where
nearly 200 very rare breeds of
chickens, bantams, game birds,
ducks, geese and pigeons are
given VIP treament by Bernard
and Christiane.
Working about the farm,
Desourdy is brimming with
energy. At one time, the martial
arts were his passion, training
and dedication taking him on a
path that would lead him to cities across North America, training courses, competitions and
demonstrations. But, as so often
happens, this rising star in his
field of specialty found travel
and loneliness were causing him
distress. Drugs and alcohol took
hold of this lively personality,
whose stride is swift and silent
as a jungle cat to this day.
“When I was five or so, my
Dad gave us free rein on whatever projects my brothers and I
dreamed up,” Desourdy recalls.
“In my case, pigeons were a
tempting challenge and my
Dad, supplying cages, housing
and feed, insisted each of us
undertake something we could
be totally responsible for, looking after what ever animals or
birds we chose. And of course
he made sure that whatever
costs he looked after were to be
repaid!”
Desourdy insists his hobby,
even at that young age, kept him
out of trouble for many years.
Concentrating on acquiring the
best and expanding his roosts
to accommodate more than 12
varieties of pigeons, the budding
feather fancier soon branched
out into feathered friends of all
kinds—including rare and exotic breeds of standard poultry,
game and bantam poultry, water
fowl and even geese.
“But martial arts and, I’ll
have to admit, girls, took away
my motivation for the poultry
house,” says the ever-honest
Desourdy. “So for over ten
years, there were no fancy feathers in my yard.”
Overcoming illness
Eventually however, walking
on the wild side caught up with
this man whose energy is divided between his increasing flock
of quality birds and the battle
with cancer he is facing with
indomitable courage.
“When they operated and
removed most of my large intestine, life didn’t seem very promising,” he reflects. “I began to
Bird lover Bernard Desourdy with his rarest-of-the-rare Langshan Sumatra rooster. Desourdy and his partner Christiane keep 200 rare breeds
of chickens, bantams, game birds, ducks, geese and pigeons on their farm in Saint-Pie-de-Bagot, 15 kilometres south of Saint-Hyacinthe.
trouble finding a female anywhere in the world. Probably
there are under 500 of these
birds left, and he’s one of the
purest of the pure, coming from
the isolated island of Sumatra.”
Its silky black and emerald
green highlights shining in the
sunlight, the rooster is a remarkable specimen. Champion wherever he went last year, he’ll
undoubtedly be in the winners’
circle again this year.
“But you have to understand
one thing,” advises Desourdy.
“The rare species I have here are
often the only poultry and water
fowl of these breeds on exhibit.
So, we go to give the public
a demonstration on the importance and variety of endangered
breeds and encourage folks to
consider this hobby as a possible challenge. You don’t have
to have hundreds to enjoy these
birds. And they’re very difficult
to find, especially finding showquality ones like these.”
Happily for Desourdy, fair
boards are reporting that exhibitor numbers of rare fowl are
gradually increasing. It seems
that quite a few folks are looking for a unique hobby and are
taking up the challenge Bernard
and Christiane have dedicated
themselves to.
give away some of the 600 or
so birds I had at that time and
my morale was at a very low
ebb. But, with Christiane and my
family and friends surrounding
me with their love and encouragement, it seemed almost a
crime to give up.”
Nowadays, Bernard and
Christiane travel around the
province and even south of the
border, their fancy, exhibitionquality birds carefully ensconced
in special cages Bernard has
designed himself to ensure comfort and safety for his brood.
The intrepid couple turns up at
county fairs bringing colour and
interest to fair visitors.
“We have one of the rare
Langshan Sumatra cocks here,”
says Bernard, whose feathered
friends are now numbering into
the hundreds. “This endangered
breed is so rare, we are having
PHOTO: CLAUDIA VILLEMAIRE
Future TV star?
Desourdy began keeping pigeons at the age of five and now cares for over a dozen breeds of the birds, like these swallow pigeons.
The couple don’t leave much to
chance. Specific breeds are separated and when the time is right,
fertilized eggs are whisked off
to the basement incubators and
hatchery. Birds are tagged and
Christiane takes care of paperwork and records. Trophies are
reverently dusted, polished and
displayed in a special cabinet
where prize ribbons and rosettes
overlap in a crowded display.
Desourdy didn’t slow down
as we toured the coops and
roosts. There was no sign of
fatigue, despite the fact that
as we walked and talked, chemotherapy was ongoing from
a side-pack, the fifth session
in a series of 12. Family and
friends began to arrive for this
special afternoon when a video
clip would be filmed to send to
the Quebec television program,
Le Banquier where Desourdy is
among the first list of finalists.
“Who could be depressed,” he
asked, as vehicles began to fill
every parking space around the
property. “And you know what
I’ve promised? If, by some good
grace from God, I do win some
money, I’ve promised one third
will go to St. Justine Hospital,
and it will be earmarked for
the children’s department where
these kids are battling cancer, as
I am right now.”
It was time to leave. Hellos
were combined with hugs and
handshakes as visitors arrived to
support this remarkable couple.
And I think my farewell hug was
one of the best too.
Born in Sherbrooke, Claudia
Villemaire has been a dedicated
Townshipper all her life. After running a dairy and pork operation with
her family, her career as a journalist
began in 1978 when The Sherbrooke
Record hired her as an agricultural reporter. A proud mother of
four—and a grandmother to nine—
Claudia lives in Richmond, Quebec.
QFA CROSSWORD - by Myles Mellor
1
2
3
4
5
8
6
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
20
21
16
17
18
19
22
25
23
24
26
27
28
31
33
29
30
32
34
ACROSS
DOWN
1
5
8
9
10
12
15
17
18
20
22
24
25
28
32
33
34
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
11
13
14
16
18
19
21
23
26
27
29
30
31
Potato variety
Syrup source
Root vegetable
Cabbage with coarse leaves
Apply
Swine
Prosciutto meat
Pig ___ poke (2 words)
Type of onion
First stomach
Soil
Dark green vegetable
Usually dark purple vegetable
Oil sauce
Exist
Edible bulb
Sire horse
Type of wheat
Mandarin orange type
Barbecue offering
Not the yolks (2 words)
Doctor
Fuzzy fruit
Lamb’s mother
Slippery fish in sushi
Supported by
Aromatic bulb used in seasoning
Chew (on)
Machines that plant seeds
Allow
Pork, chicken and beef
Maintain
Band booking
Pecan, for example
Classified ad abbreviation
Longing
Light metal symbol
SOLUTION ON PAGE 26
Heather Dann
W.H. Miner Institute
In the December 2012 issue of
the Farm Report I highlighted
work indicating that fresh cows
experience low blood calcium
more than previously thought. In
a survey of 480 herds in 21 states,
47 per cent of cows had subclinical hypocalcemia (aka subclinical
milk fever) within 48 hours of
calving. Subclinical hypocalcemia
is a threat to transition cow health
and farm profitability.
A cow doesn’t need to be
“down” to be negatively affected by hypocalcemia. It results in
decreased early lactation milk
yield, increased risk for ketosis
and displaced abomasum, and
reduced fertility at first service.
Subclinical hypocalcemia is of
greater economic importance
than clinical cases of milk fever
because it affects a higher proportion of cows, according to Dr.
Oetzel from the University of
Wisconsin.
If a 1,000-cow dairy has a two
per cent annual incidence of clinical milk fever and each case costs
$300, then the cost to the dairy
is $6,000 per year from clinical
cases. If the same herd has a 30
per cent annual incidence of subclincal hypocalcemia in 2nd and
greater lactation cows (2/3 of the
herd) and each case costs $125
because of reduced milk yield and
treatment cost of ketosis and displaced abomasum, then the cost
to the dairy is $24,750 or about
four times greater than the cost of
the clinical cases.
What can you do about subclincal hypocalcemia in your herd?
The best option for treatment of
cows with hypocalcemia that are
still standing is to give them an
oral calcium supplement at least
twice, one at calving and another
the next day, according to Dr.
Oetzel. The calcium is absorbed
into the bloodstream within about
30 minutes of administration. The
blood calcium will remain elevated for about four to six hours.
Intravenous (IV) calcium is not
recommended for treating cows
that are still standing. In standing cows, treatment with IV calcium causes extremely high blood
calcium levels that increase the
risk for fatal heart complications.
Treatment with subcutaneous
(SC) calcium is an option since
the calcium is well-absorbed in
hydrated cows, but it has some
limitations. It may be ineffective
in cows that are dehydrated or
severely hypocalcemic.
Calcium solutions given SC
can be irritating and cause tissue
necrosis. Avoid giving SC calcium solutions containing glucose
since glucose is poorly absorbed
and can lead to abscesses and tissue sloughing. Prevention is my
preferred approach to “treating”
subclinical hypocalcemia. Use of
a low or negative dietary cationanion difference (DCAD) in the
close-up diet is an effective way
to increase blood calcium during the period immediately after
calving. According to Drs. Beede
(Michigan State University) and
Block (Church & Dwight Co.)
targeting DCAD at -10 to -15
mEq/100 g is typically effective
for changing acid-base status and
increasing blood calcium. This
target level includes a safety factor to account for changes in mineral content of feeds and variation in response from individual
cows. To achieve this target range,
reduce K+ and Na+ as much as
possible while still meeting minimum requirements and then add
anions from either anionic salts or
commercial products.
It’s important to monitor urine
pH when using a DCAD approach
in the close-up period. Most cows
should have a pH between 6.2
and 6.8. If the pH is <5.5 then the
DCAD is too low and needs to be
adjusted.
—dann@whminer.com
PHOTO: ARCHIVES/TCN
What can you do about low calcium in fresh cows?
THE
CLASSIFIEDS
LIVESTOCK
EVENTS
Six Hereford cows bred AI to
polled Charolais bull (Tyrant 31T)
Available in September. Will calve
in January/14 819-687-3798 (1/1)
HORSE PULL - Buckingham –
June 30 2013. Start 12 noon. 485
Doherty Rd. L’Ange Gardien. QC.
J8L 0T5. Ed Lemieux. Farm Heavy &
Light Class. Admission - $6 (1/2)
Two Hereford/Simmental cross
replacement heifers available in
September. The Simmental sire is
Worldwide 14w 819-687-3798 (1/1)
QFA MEMBER BENEFITS
HEALTH INSURANCE – There
is strength in numbers and the
QFA has negotiated a competitively priced comprehensive group
insurance plan for its members.
Call the plan administrator toll free
for further information: 1-800-2686195.
POULTRY MANURE - Canada’s largest mushroom Grower, located in
Wellington, ON., is looking for bulk
chicken or turkey manure for composting process. Please contact
Janis Deschênes at 514-381-4804 or
jdeschenes@highlinemushrooms.
com (4/4)
QFA
CROSSWORD
SOLUTION
2013/14 FARM FOOD FORUM
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
1
8
D
E
U
R
U
U
S
S
T
E
U
M
H
A
A
R
G G
R
I
S
R
E
E
S
19
L
T
B
A
P
H
17
E
O
G O
I
A
13
S
A
34
S
27
N
N
K
A
15
H
A
20
R
U M
L
E
I
N
A
T
28
S
31
A
A
L
L
L
7
The QFA’s pioneering information
network using videoconference
technology.
3 FREE QFA CLASSIFIEDS – for all
your machinery & livestock sales,
auctions and other announcements.
10% DISCOUNT ON MARK’S
WORK WEARHOUSE SELECT
ITEMS – The discount card is
E
2 months $13.00.
16
I
N
C
C
29
O
32
DO YOU NEED SOMETHING
TRANSLATED? Translate English
to French or French to English. No
job is too big or too small! QFA
members automatically get a 10%
discount with additional rebates
available to return customers. Call
RATES: 1 month $7.00.
A M
E
sent with your welcome pack on
receipt of your membership payment. Items eligible for discount
include:- Dakota Work shirts and
pants, cover-alls, overalls and
coats; All Carhartt merchandise;
DH Merchandise – Jeans, shirts,
knits and polar fleece wear and
coats; All WR coats – winter underwear and all CSA approved footwear.
us at 450-679-0540, Ext. 8536 or
e-mail us: qfa_translation@upa.
qc.ca
QFA ACCOUNTING BOOKS, bilingual, easy to use, $25 for QFA members. $30 for non-members. Call
the QFA office to order your copy.
450-679-0540, extension 8536.
QFA MERCHANDISE
QFA Sign and pin combo: $7
QFA Pins: $3 each
Dessert Cookbooks: $12
Vests: $40
Caps:$15
While supplies last!
For more information or to order
contact the QFA office.
E
W
L
Reaching all of Quebec’s
English-speaking Farmers
Thursday October 24, 2013
Thursday November 28, 2013
Thursday January 30, 2014
Thursday February 27, 2014
Thursday March 27, 2014
Thursday April 24, 2014
H
4 months $22.00.
Full year $55.00. 3 months $18.00.
U
21
C
T
P
C
14
P
U
T
9
6
E
O G
T
24
H
M A
D
E
23
D
G
12
E
L
5
E
W
11
L
4
G
O
26
E
33
A
E
D
25
3
I
S
10
E
22
I
A
M
18
2
Your Community Marketplace
Note: Rates based on 20 words/classified ad. Each additional word is 10 cents.
Photos (black and white) $5.00 each. Taxes are extra.
30
Y
B
E
O
N
Deadline: Noon. Monday, June 17.
BOOK YOUR AD TODAY: Fax: (450) 463-5291. E-mail: qfa@upa.qc.ca. Place
the words ‘Advocate ads’ in the subject line.
Best Value: Members receive 3 classified ads FREE.
WANT AN AD?
Don’t forget that QFA members
get 3 FREE classified ads per year!
Send in your ads now!
E-mail: qfa@upa.qc.ca
Phone: 450-679-0540 ext. 8536
Fax: 450-463-5291
✄
Quirky QFA Crack-Ups
First Drinks
Having moved into his first
apartment, a young man invited
his Mother and Father for a
visit.
As they walked in, the son asked
if they would like a cold drink.
Mentally patting myself on the
back for teaching his son to be
such a gracious host, the Father
said, “Yes, what do you have?”
sary, a couple summed up the
reason for their long and happy
marriage.
The son walked over to the
refrigerator, opened the door,
studied the contents, and then
replied, “I have pickle juice or
water.”
The husband said, “I have tried
never to be selfish. After all, there
is no ‘I’ in the word ‘marriage.’”
Fifty Years of Bliss
The wife said, “For my part, I
have never corrected my husband’s spelling.”
On their 50th wedding anniver-
Farm safety doesn’t just save costs
A minor accident can be a costly occurrence for
any small business, but Jamie Beaumont doesn’t
promote farm safety just to pinch a few pennies.
A strict adherence to work safety standards is as
much about his piece of mind as it is about good
business practices.
Amy Petherick
Canadian Agricultural Safety
Association
Beaumont operates a dairy
farm in Mitchell, Ontario and
milks 150 cows twice a day with
the help of 16 full and part time
employees. Being well aware
of Work Safety and Insurance
Board standards, J.P.C. Farms
started developing health and
safety plans 10 years ago. Today
they have regular safety audits,
an employee safety representative position, and annual training sessions conducted in person. Beaumont “walks the walk”
with the rest of his staff, wearing safety glasses himself during
milking. He believes that safety is a two way street between
employers and employees, so he
leads by example when it comes
to injury prevention.
“Injuries take time, they take
paperwork, and nobody wants
to go to work and be hurt,” says
Beaumont. “And most times, it’s
just a case of having systems in
place and people aware of risks
to prevent accidents.”
Beaumont admits that maintaining high safety standards
isn’t exactly easy and keeps him
busy. But after an employee fell
asleep while driving back to the
farm for her second shift of the
day in 1999, changes had to be
made. He says no one puts in
more than 45 hours a week anymore and he never has problems
filling a shift. With responsibility for the operation of the farm
shared among so many people,
it’s not only less stressful for the
farm’s employees but also for the
owners.
Glen Blahey is an Agricultural
Safety and Health Specialist for
the Canadian Agricultural Safety
Association. “Farming operations are typically a sole proprietorship or partnership,” he
says, “and sometimes personal
survival is overlooked.”
Blahey says a 2008 Queen’s
University study evaluated just
how high the financial costs of
risky farm behavior can be. For
example, the study found every
sick day taken by a farmer costs
$700 on average. When someone
on the farm has to be hospitalized
due to a critical injury, the aver-
age economic impact is $10,000.
To put that into perspective,
Blahey asks people to consider
the extra income a farm has to
generate to cover these costs. “If
you were living in an ideal world
and your farming operation had
a 10 per cent profit margin, to
recover a $10,000 loss, you have
to earn an extra $100,000,” he
points out. When you consider
the cost of permanent disability,
$143,000, or a fatality, $275,000,
suddenly good safety practices
are simply good business riskmanagement strategies.
Beaumont says he’s well aware
of the association farmers draw
between employees and business risk. He’s often been asked
for advice on meeting minimum
requirements from the perspective of limiting legal liability. But
it’s his opinion that trying to
avoid liability is the wrong way
to prevent an event that could
end up in court.
“Don’t worry about being
legal, worry about being safe,
because that’s the only thing that
matters,” stresses Beaumont.
“You may have a visit, you may
not have things in order, and
you may have a small fine. But
when you have an ambulance
leave your farm, and somebody
is hurt, it doesn’t matter how
much paperwork you have on
the wall.”
Whether you have three people or 30 people working on
the farm, family or non-family, Beaumont believes a strong
emphasis on safety is good farm
business practice. No one is disposable, he says, and the costs, in
all senses, are far too great.
Canadian Agricultural Safety
Week is delivered by the Canadian
Agricultural Safety Association
(CASA), the Canadian Federation
of Agriculture (CFA), and exclusive corporate sponsor Farm Credit
Canada (FCC), with support from
the Government of Canada through
Growing Forward, a federal, provincial, territorial initiative

May 2013 - Quebec Farmers` Association

Transcription

Similar documents

Market Plan

`Polar Bear`- Urecon Corporate Overview

Quebec Star System

market description

mEdia kit

Battlegrounds and beluga - Office du tourisme de Québec

Poster 1: Lessons from farmers in eastern New Zealand

“2006 Quebec High School Science Fair: Students for Science

http://www.wheels.ca/news/a-snowy-road-trip-part-2-carnaval

the complete Quebec experience!