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78 DECEMBER 13, 2012 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCER
NEWS
Six federal irrigation projects in Saskatchewan will be decommissioned if users are not interested in taking over operations. | FILE PHOTO
FLOOD IRRIGATION PROJECTS | PRODUCER TAKEOVERS
Irrigation project proposal in limbo
No word from Ottawa | Farmers have not received answers to questions on finances or operations
STORIES BY KAREN BRIERE
REGINA BUREAU
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Southwestern
Saskatchewan farmers who will
take over federal irrigation works by
2017 hope to know in January if their
financial terms have been accepted.
Darren Steinley, a member of the
producer negotiation committee
representing the six flood irrigation
projects, said the producers submitted
a proposal to Agriculture
Canada in May but still haven’t heard
back.
He declined to say how much the
producers want to help them maintain
and operate the projects.
“They indicated they were willing
to invest to divest, which means they
were willing to give the producers
some money to carry on with the
projects,” Steinley said of the federal
government.
Ottawa said in 2007 it wanted users
to take over the projects. If not, they
would be decommissioned. It also
said it would eventually sell its 33
dams and water control structures in
the province.
About 250 producers irrigate 20,000
acres through intensive flood irriga-
BY BARBARA DUCKWORTH
CALGARY BUREAU
A series of educational videos will
soon be available online for beef producers.
The Beef Cattle Research Council
has worked with the internet-based
news service RealAgriculture to
We’re pretty confident as
producers that we can take the
projects over and we can run
them, and we can probably
run them more efficiently and
effectively than governments in
the past have run them.
DARREN STEINLEY
PRODUCER NEGOTIATION COMMITTEE
tion in the six projects. Steinley said
the result is 60,000 tonnes of hay each
year in the form of 100,000 round
bales.
There are two projects near Val
Marie and one each at Consul, Eastend,
Maple Creek and Rush Lake.
In 2009, four groups were already
doing some of the work involved in
operating the projects. During the
last two years, a consultant has
helped them plan for the takeover.
Steinley said that process was useful
in terms of getting the users talking
and planning, but “we didn’t get
any real financial answers or any
clear understanding of how to run
develop 30, 10-minute videos to introduce
new techniques. They will feature
interviews with researchers, veterinarians
and other industry experts.
Council head Reynold Bergen said
on one of the videos that research
affects producers’ everyday lives,
whether it is studying the impacts of
antimicrobial resistance or animal
the project.”
The proposal is based on the costs
the users determined, he said.
“We’re pretty confident as producers
that we can take the projects over
and we can run them, and we can
probably run them more efficiently
and effectively than governments in
the past have run them,” he said.
Steinley said there are still issues
that need to be clarified.
The projects are supposed to be
turned over in good working condition,
and an engineer has assessed
them and rated them from one to
four — one being in poor condition
and four being in good condition.
“The AESB (Agriculture Canada’s
agri-environmental services branch)
has promised us that when we take
over the projects in 2017, all structures
will be at a three and four,” he
said.
However, a weir at Maple Creek that
was destroyed during recent flooding
will not be replaced. Users might get
works in good condition, he added,
but they might not get everything
they are expecting.
As well, there are seepage issues
with one of the projects on the lower
Frenchman River, which could dam-
productivity. Slow, incremental
improvements in feed efficiency have
made it possible to produce more
pounds of beef per cow.
Three decades ago, 10 pounds of
feed were needed for one lb. of weight
gain, but modern animals produce
one lb. of gain for every six lb. of feed.
Darren Bevans, manager of Deseret
age soil and result in improper irrigation,
and the Rush Lake group has an
outstanding concern about drainage
into Reed Lake, where a landowner
doesn’t want water to accumulate.
Reed Lake is the natural drainage
collection point for the area, and
water from irrigation also ends up in
the basin.
“The province says we can put our
water there, but we’d be more comfortable
with a licence that says we
can do that,” Steinley said.
Other concerns include working
with rural municipalities and what
happens to the water if users don’t
take over and the irrigation works
aren’t used.
He said the 10-year negotiation and
divestiture process is too long for
producers who typically make quick
decisions based on what’s best for
their operations
“It’s tough to plan crop rotations,
hay rotations, what you’re going to
buy for land, how many more cows
you’re going to buy, different things
like that when you’re trying to plan
for 10 years down the road.”
Ottawa previously tried to sell its
Saskatchewan infrastructure in 1961,
1967, 1986 and 1994.
Ranches, said on the video that his
operation has been able to take new
ideas and technology and fine tune
them.
For example, studies on the benefits
of swath grazing showed this technique
was a profitable way to winter
cows.
“It has helped us move light years
RESEARCH | IRRIGATION
Irrigated
vegetable
possibilities
examined
Consultant looks at valueadded
opportunities in
Saskatchewan vegetable
acre expansion
MOOSE JAW, Sask. — A study is
underway to determine if Saskatche–
wan is a good candidate for high volume
vegetable production.
The study, which is led by the Saskatchewan
Irrigation Projects Association,
will look at whether the
province could supply more of its
own produce and whether there is
potential to supply others, said
Judie Dyck, a Saskatoon-based
consultant.
She told the SIPA annual conference
Dec. 4 that the study will determine
how much land is available for
vegetable production under irrigation,
what type of crop rotation
would be necessary and the role of
Regina’s Global Transportation Hub
(GTH) in transporting produce.
Loblaw Co.’s western distribution
centre, which ships produce throughout
Western Canada, was the first
tenant at the GTH.
Dyck said Loblaw has indicated a
willingness to work with local growers,
and discussions have centred on
prioritizing three to five crops.
Saskatchewan irrigators already
grow 8,500 acres of potatoes a year,
half for the table market and half for
seed.
Pumpkins, green beans, beets,
onions and corn are grown on another
500 acres. As well, Hutterite colonies
and market gardeners, mostly in
the Lumsden-Craven area and near
Saskatoon, sell from the farmgate.
“We’re only producing 10 percent
of what we consume, so we have an
opportunity to provide at least what
Saskatchewan needs,” Dyck told the
conference.
Statistics Canada has said fresh
vegetable consumption is increasing
to 165 pounds per person per year.
Many people prefer to buy local but
can’t if production isn’t sufficient.
Dyck also said there are value added
opportunities that the Prairies
could capitalize on, such as canned
borscht.
“We have the land base and the
water,” she said.
“We need the skills, the people that
want to get into the marketplace.”
The study’s report is to be complete
by December 2013.
EDUCATION | BEEF SECTOR
Beef industry experts share knowledge, research on Real Agriculture videos
ahead rather than just trying it on our
own,” he said.
The videos in the Beef Research
School program can be seen at www.
BeefResearachSchool.com or www.
BeefResearch.ca.
Funding for the project came from
the Alberta Livestock and Meat
Agency and Agriculture Canada.