LMT August 6th 2018

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6 Last Mountain Times • Monday, August 6, 2018 • lmtimes.ca Crop Report For the Period July 24 to 30, 2018 Harvest operations are underway for some producers in the south, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. Crops are rapidly drying down across the province and many pulse crops are being desiccated. Most crops remain in fair to excellent condition, although later-seeded crops need rain to help heads and pods fill. Reported yields so far range from average to well-below average, depending on field and moisture conditions. Most areas of the province did not receive any rain last week, although the Arborfield area reported 22 mm and the Macklin area 20 mm. Many southern and central areas have not received significant moisture for well over a month, and any future rainfall may be of limited benefit since most southern crops are quickly ripening. Topsoil moisture conditions have Composting We know that compost greatly improves the structure of the soil as well as its capacity to hold and provide nutrients to plants. We know that in order to compost four main components are needed: organic matter; moisture; oxygen and bacteria. In addition to bacteria, larger organisms including insects and earthworms are also active composters and have the ability to break down larger materials in the compost pile. The amount of time needed to produce compost depends on several factors, including the size of the compost pile, the types of materials, the surface area of the materials, and the number of times the pile is turned. A good size for efficient composting is a pile/bin that is between 3 to 5 cubic feet. This allows good heating of the centre of the pile. By breaking down the materials into smaller parts by chipping, shredding or mulching will help to more quickly allow the compost to be made. Turning the pile every 2 to 4 weeks will also help to speed up this process as it takes a couple of weeks for the pile to heat which will promote maximum bacterial activity. Do ensure when turning the compost pile, make sure that materials in the center are brought to the outsides, and that materials from the outside edges are brought to the center. With frequent turning the compost can be ready in about three months in our warmer season. When using the compost it is best to incorporate compost into your garden as you prepare the soil in the spring. Cover the area with 3-4 inches of soil and till it in to at least the upper 6 inches of soil. Add compost to soil in vegetable gardens, annual flower beds, and around new perennials as they are planted. It may also be used as a mulch around flower beds, vegetable gardens, or around trees or shrubs in landscape beds. Apply a good 3 inch layer but be careful not to apply mulch close to the main stem or trunk of the plant. As the summer wanes into fall you can alter your composting to vermicomposting or the process of making compost with the help of a specific type of worm. The most common type of worm for this worsened since last week due to the lack of rain and hot temperatures. Provincial topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are currently rated as 39 per cent adequate, 43 per cent short and 18 per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 33 per cent adequate, 39 per cent short and 28 per cent very short. The majority of crop damage this past week is attributed to lack of moisture, strong wind and high temperatures. There have been some reports of grasshoppers in the south. Haying is wrapping up for some livestock producers and yields remain significantly lower than normal. Pasture conditions are currently rated as two per cent excellent, 25 per cent good, 37 per cent fair, 26 per cent poor and 10 per cent very poor. process are red wigglers (Eisenia foetida). They are voracious eaters who can easily eat their way through your kitchen waste and in the process convert that waste into a useful product. Any container will do but I find that rubbermaid totes are ideal. It is necessary for the bin to have oxygen so you can either poke holes in the lid or cut an opening in the top and cover it with a fine screen. To set up HORTICULTURE PAT HANBIDGE SASKATOON, SK the container when you are starting you will need to provide a combination of “bedding” along with a small amount of garden soil. The best bedding is light and fluffy to allow a good exchange of air. Newspaper is a good bedding material and is readily available. Simply tear the newspaper into 3 – 5cm strips and moisten it slight by soaking it in water for several minutes. Ensure you squeeze out the excess water prior to adding the newspaper to the soil as the environment must be moist but not soggy. Your worms will also need to be fed a balanced diet of good kitchen waste. Good foods to feed your worms include most kitchen scraps including: vegetable and fruit peelings; tea bags; coffee filters; egg shells (crushed); dry bread etc. It is important to avoid: meat; fish; cheese; butter; animal products and large amounts of citrus peels. Worms need to be fed regularly in order to continue the process of composting. Your new pets (the red wrigglers) will live quietly in their dark box. You will not have to do much to keep them happy and as long as they have a good environment they will eat their way into producing a good amount of compost for you. Keep the composting factory in a spot where the temperature is between 17 and 27 C. Compost will be ready to harvest in 3 – 4 months and you will be ready to begin the process again. -Patricia Hanbidge is a horticulturist with the Saskatoon School of Horticulture and can be reached at 306‐931‐GROW(4769); by email at growyourfuture@gmail. com or check out their website at www.saskhort.com
Loggerheads AG NOTES CALVIN DANIELS You don’t have to have been involved in agriculture all that long to recall that the biggest detriment to Canadian farm exports used to be subsidies paid by the United States and the European Union to their farmers. The two sides were battling for markets by undercutting each other to attract buyers, and then backfilling losses to their farmers by cutting subsidy cheques out of government accounts. For Canada it was a case of being caught in the middle, forced to sell low, but without the financial resources of the two big players to bolster farm accounts with a subsidy. It took years to level the playing field in large part thanks to framework deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement which put in place some common sense rules to trade. That is not to suggest NAFTA, or any other trade deal between trading partners, is flawless, and disputes do arise, but they are at least a foundation to keep trade flowing under a set of agreed to rules. And trade deals did help reduce subsidy wars, evolving farm trade beyond a wild west atmosphere where sales were often made by cutting someone a cheque on the side either to support framers, or offset costs for the buyer. Enter American president Donald Trump and the wild and woolly west reappears. Trump seems to operate by one guiding principle in terms of business, never sign a deal where you don’t come out the big winner. Trickle, trickle CURRIE’S CORNER ROGER CURRIE Some basic economics today about the infamous ‘trickle down’ theory. That’s the passionate belief, long espoused by Republicans in America, and their Conservative fellow travellers here in Canada. It argues that rich people and big corporations should pay lower taxes, so their earnings and profits will grow. They will then use that ‘windfall’ to expand their business and create more jobs with higher pay. The only problem is the fact that precise evidence is somewhat hard to find. Since Donald Trump became the U.S. President 18 months ago, the only significant measure he has managed to push through Congress has been a major tax cut. It seemed to be the one thing that all Republicans could agree on, regardless of what other battles were taking place. The U.S. economy appears to be doing really well, especially if you’re a CEO earning millions a year. Difficult questions Have you noticed that journalists are an endangered species, but there are still some important people who care, for now? I remain proud to call myself a journalist, and it still gives me a bit of a shiver to observe the ‘stable genius’ who masquerades as the 45th President of the United States. It is slightly comforting to see that Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka does not agree with Dad that “the press are the enemy”, and I wish her well as she moves on from the fashion industry. Then I read about what Canada’s newest Premier is up to. Twas bad enough that Toronto had to endure the total embarrassment of having the late Rob Ford as its mayor, but now they have brother Doug as Premier? Rather than merely sitting on a golden throne and ranting about the media on Twitter as Trump does, the Ontario Premier is taking things to a whole new level. His government is cranking out slick propaganda videos at taxpayers expense. Political staff are showing up at news briefings and bursting into loud applause to drown out reporters when they try to ask questions that might prove Last Mountain Times • Monday, August 6, 2018 • lmtimes.ca Some might suggest that is the crux of business, but if you win by limiting the trade partner’s ability to also make a reasonable dollar you could end up without partners to deal with. Trump doesn’t seem to care. So NAFTA has been reopened and sits in tatters with little likelihood it will be resuscitated anytime soon. And on a grander scale Trump’s posturing has thrown the United States into what is fast becoming a full-scale global trade war. Trump is already at loggerheads with China, Mexico, Europe and Canada, and that is highly disruptive to trade in general, and it is having an impact on the agriculture sector specifically. The impact is having a blow back effect on American farmers too, so the US has announced it is going to prop up the sector with those frightful subsidies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced US $12 billion in federal aid programs for farmers to help them cope with declining prices and falling demand for American soybeans, pork, fruits, and other crops, demand lost based on Trump’s high-handed approach to trade. This move has to send a shudder through the farm sector because it is one of those things that producers have no control over, but that can affect profitability in a major way. Subsidies are not a trade mechanism where Canada can reasonably compete, nor is it a way to facilitate reasonable trade between partners. - Calvin Daniels Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer. Most often a substantial portion of their earnings are paid in stock options, and a closer look suggests that a majority of the folks in the ‘one per cent’ are selling their shares and not necessarily re-investing to help grow the economy. Also, most companies that are publicly traded are using much of those stronger earnings to buy back shares, hoping that the price will rise even higher. It’s a similar story in Canada, especially for companies that do business in both countries. A good case in point is Great West Life which began in Winnipeg more than 60 years ago. Nowadays they employ more people at their American headquarters in Denver, and their earnings were up 17% in the second quarter. The insurance business is not creating large numbers of jobs these days. The work force at Great West has been shrinking in recent years as more and more routine workers are being replaced by technology. The company quietly acknowledges in their second quarter report that the Trump tax cuts didn’t hurt them at all. By the way, they’re not getting ‘wet’ from the ‘trickle down’. Twas ever thus. difficult. It all began during Ontario’s recent election campaign that saw Ford Nation take over Queens Park, sweeping aside Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals. There was no campaign media bus, and almost no substantial interviews. Like Trump, Premier Doug and his people have already been caught in a growing list of downright lies. At the annual Premiers conference in New Brunswick last month, the Ford regime announced that Ontario would be joining Saskatchewan in taking the Trudeau Liberals to court over the national carbon tax plan, and oh yes, Manitba’s Brian Pallister would be on board also. Not so. Pallister used taxpayers money to get a legal opinion that said such a legal case would most likely be a loser. Ontario used to be regarded as a leader in this country in many ways, just as the United States used to be a leader in the world. The times they are a’changing. - Roger Currie Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer. Overheard at the coffee shop A friend of mine says she didn’t plant a rock garden this year because last year a bunch of them didn’t come up. I think she was just kidding ... 7
Page 1 and 2: TIMES Next print issue August 13 LM
Page 3 and 4: RCMP REPORT Assault on RCMP officer
Page 5: SPORTS Last Mountain Times • Mond
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LMT August 6th 2018

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