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46FEBRUARY 21, 2013 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCERAt Case IH, we design equipment with a producer’s agronomic needs in mind. OurQuadtrac ® technology, soil management and planting systems are designed to foster abetter growing environment that maximizes yield potential. We’ve developed equipmentthat gets you in and out of the field effectively to make the most of short weatherwindows. And our deep understanding of agriculture helps producers when they need itmost. Case IH agronomic design keeps producers ahead of today’s increasing demand.Will you be ready? For more information, go to caseih.com/agronomicdesign.BE READY.©2013 CNH America LLC. All rights reserved. Case IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. www.caseih.comEarth photo courtesy of NASA.
NEWSTHE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | FEBRUARY 21, 2013 47U.S. FARM SUPPORTS | SUBSIDY LIMITSU.S. senators push for stricter subsidy limitsCap on payments | The program was designedto help small and medium sized family farmsWASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters)— U.S. farmers would be limited to$125,000 a year in crop supportpayments in a significant tighteningof farm support rules recentlyproposed by four senators fromfarm and ranch states.There is no effective limit on paymentsnow. Large operators collectthe lion’s share of subsidies becausethey are based on each bushel ofgrain or pound of cotton grown on afarm.“It’s time to get the program back toits original intent,” said senatorChuck Grassley, an Iowa Republicanand a sponsor of the bill who is along-time proponent of strict limits.He said the farm program, datingfrom the 1930s, was aimed at protectingsmall and medium-size familyfarms.Besides putting a “hard” cap onpayments per farmer, the bill wouldalso crack down on payments toinvestors and absentee landlords.Under it, only one person living intown could collect subsidies for providingmanagement on a given farm.Passage of the package “would putan end to widespread abuse in farmprograms,” said the National SustainableAgriculture Coalition, whichrepresents small farmers.For too long farm programpayments have gone toproducers who do not needthe support, and sometimes topeople who are not involved infarming.SHERROD BROWNOHIO DEMOCRATIt said the chances for passage of anew farm bill would be boosted bythe inclusion of meaningful paymentlimits.Although the Senate included similarreforms in its farm bill last year,the version approved by the Houseof Representatives’ agriculturecommittee rejected them.Both bills died at the end of 2012,so Congress must start over on thebill this year.Grassley said he was confident theSenate would adopt the packagethis year. Republican senatorMike Enzi of Wyoming, DemocratTim Johnson of SouthDakota and DemocratSherrod Brown of Ohiojoined Grassley assponsors. Brown andGrassley are membersof the Senate agriculturecommittee.The senators’ proposalwould allow grain, cottonand soybean growers tocollect up to $50,000 a yearfor all crop subsidies and$75,000 a year from the marketingloan program, for a totalof $125,000 per farmer.The total would double to$250,000 for a married couple.There is now a $105,000 limitper farmer, or $210,000 per couple,on crop subsidies and no limiton marketing loan benefits, so thereis no overall limit on payments.The senators said a stricter definitionof who qualifies for subsidies,known as the “actively engaged”rule, would greatly reduce the flowof subsidies to investors and absenteeowners who take no role in runninga farm but who say they providekey management direction.Farm subsidies are available toTHE SUBSIDY PROPOSAL WOULDCAP PAYMENTS AT$250,000PER COUPLEpeople who provide land, equipmentor capital and 1,000 hours of labourper year or active management. Adecade ago, a congressional commissionsuggested more stringent ruleson what qualifies as management.“For too long farm program paymentshave gone to producers whodo not need the support, and sometimesto people who are not involvedin farming,” said Brown.The 2008 farm bill was the first todeny subsidies to the wealthiestfarmers, or those with more than$1.25 million in adjusted grossincome. It also ended the “threeentityrule,” which allowed growersto collect subsidies directly andthrough two affiliates.Payment limits are a divisive issuein U.S. agriculture, pitting cotton andrice growers in the South against thewheat, corn and soybean farmers ofthe Plains and Midwest, and bigoperators against small farmers.Cotton and rice have the highestsupport rates but also high costs ofproduction.ADVERTORIAL1000 Foot Views Show Technotill AdvantageGetting a 1000 foot perspective on how crops are performing, gives North Battleford, Sask. areafarmer and private pilot Alan Heidel a much better idea of how his crop management system isworking.Heidel who switched to the Technotill seeding system on his 41 foot airseeding system fi ve yearsago, says a weekly fl ight in his Piper Warrior PA28 over his fi elds throughout the growing seasontells the story.“I have been really impressed with how even the germination is over a whole fi eld, from fl at areasto the hill tops, and over different soil types and you can’t always see that even walking the fi elds,”says Heidel who crops about 2,200 acres of grains, oilseeds and pulse crops. “I use a narrowone-inch Bourgault opener so there is very little soil disturbance. I can run the opener shallowwhen there is good moisture, or deeper to reach moisture in dryer years and there is still just thisone-quarter inch of packed soil on top of the seed. There is excellent seed to soil contact and veryeven germination.”Heidel says the system works equally well with all crops from wheat, to canola, to peas, to lentils,and to oats. “We used to broadcast apply our canola just ahead of the seeding equipment, whichcovered the seed, but I wasn’t happy with germination. The Technotillsystem works extremely well.”And with the Technotill system, he likes the fact that fertilizer is placed just above and to the sideof the seed row. He can place all fertilizer at time of seeding without risk of seedling injury, andespecially in wet years he likes the fact the fertilizer is being moved down into the root zone, ratherthan being leached away below the roots.With a direct seeding system, with very low disturbance, and by leaving crop residue on thefi eld, Heidel says there has been a marked increase in soil organic matter particularly in areas ofsandier soil.“We’ve had some good growing conditions the last few years, but even with that I can tell cropsare much more even, the fi elds are fuller with improved plant stands, and yields have increased,”he says. “It is a very simple and effi cient system that all helps the bottom line,” says Heidel.Making Seeding Simple!Telephone: 780-352-9890, Wetaskiwin, AB
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