May 2003

Putting Canada First

Since 2001, federal, provincial and territorial governments have been working with the agriculture and agri-food industry to help strengthen and revitalize the sector through a new Agricultural Policy Framework (APF) for Canada.

Over the next five years, Canadian farmers will have new tools, services and options to strengthen their businesses, increase prosperity and meet the demands of consumers at home and abroad.

The policy framework brings together five key elements - Business Risk Management, Environment, Food Safety and Quality, Renewal, and Science and Innovation - in a single, solid platform that will help Canadian agriculture maximize new opportunities in world markets. No other country can lay claim to such a cohesive and integrated policy approach to agriculture. For Canada, there will be international recognition as the world leader in food safety and quality, environmentally responsible production and innovative products.

The Government of Canada has already signed the APF framework agreement with nine provinces and two territories. Discussions continue with Quebec.

For the latest APF news, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/puttingcanadafirst/ or phone 1 800 O-Canada (1 800 622-6232) or TTY 1 800 465-7735.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has a Number of Programs Putting Canada First

Monitoring Cattle Movement

Ensuring Canada becomes a world leader in food safety and quality means being able to rapidly identify and control animal disease outbreaks. To this end, a pilot program to monitor cattle movements around Manitoba's Riding Mountain National Park has been funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency has received $202,500 to enter all animals into a main database when they are tested for tuberculosis by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. When those animals are shipped out of the control zone, their electronic ear tags may be scanned and compared to the database to ensure they originated from a negative herd. The need for the initiative was recognized when tuberculosis was identified in cattle and wildlife located in the municipalities adjacent to the park. The project was financed by AAFC's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development fund, which has provided $450 million in federal funding to thousands of industry-led national and regional projects since 1995.

Post-Secondary Students Rethink Kitchen Habits

Young adults, living alone for first time, will have an opportunity to digest new food safety skills. For those 16 to 25, adopting a healthy lifestyle is very important. A multi part awareness program, which includes campus promotions across the country, has been funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, a national association of more than 50 organizations, has been given $126,500 through AAFC's Canadian Adaptation and Rural Development (CARD) fund. Industry partners are providing an additional $40,000. The Partnership will use the money to increase awareness of the "clean, separate, cook and chill" messages for food safety. This type of program helps consumers become an integral part of Canada's food safety system. Since 1995, the CARD fund has helped Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector take advantages of opportunities, meet challenges and become more competitive in the global marketplace.

Looking for Nitrogen

More than odour comes from manure. Nitrogen emissions can impact air and water quality. But, it is difficult to determine the exact quantity and source of the nitrogen from the manure since there are multiple nitrogen sources in agricultural soils that are not easy to segregate. Research by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sainte-Foy, QC, has led to a technique for tracing nitrogen ingested by pigs until it disperses in the environment. Measurement of the actual environmental impact of various types of manure application is possible because a nitrogen "signal" is added in the liquid manure and traced to soil, crops and environment. Preliminary tests indicate nitrogen losses range from five to 20 per cent when manure is applied in the spring at judicious rates. Controlling nitrogen loss is the goal of other studies.

Tapping into Drought Data

Even in the driest conditions, there can be some useable moisture in the soil. In Lethbridge, AB, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) researchers have created drought-modelling systems that quickly and accurately predict how much water is available in Prairie soils to grow crops. A model has been developed, using data from 35 new, all-season weather monitoring stations, for the Province of Alberta's new drought reporting system. The system is expected go be online in May 2003. There are plans to bring the results of a similar system online in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This system will augment the current set of indicators available through AAFC's Drought Watch Web site. Knowing the risk of drought is important to making sound, farm-management decisions.

Reducing Herbicide Use

Reducing weedkiller applications to farm fields without lowering crop yields is not a dream. There is an environmentally friendly, decision-making tool enabling producers to reduce herbicide use by 25 per cent. An Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research team in Sainte-Foy, QC, has developed a decision-making system to assist farmers determine if a herbicide application is required. The system combines an image analysis unit, which shows the degree of weed infestation in the field at the beginning of the season, with a mathematical unit to help to predict possible crop-loss levels due to weeds. When the time comes to decide on applying herbicides, the system takes into account the farmer's financial risk tolerance by considering the probability that crop loss exceeds the money saved by reduced chemical applications.

Waste Not, Want Not

One person's trash is another's treasure may be a cliché, but it is true. Soil polluted by heating oil spills may be rehabilitated through composting. AAFC researchers in Fredericton, NB, are using a test chamber to break down the oil in contaminated soil to see how the natural forces of compositing can restore soil to its original productivity. As the contaminants succumb, the researchers are watching microbial activity and nutrient release with a view to testing the material under controlled conditions in potato rotations. Successful experimentation may lead to heating oil contaminated soil becoming a compost ingredient, and that may lead to future commercial applications as a soil amendment.

Two for One

Controlled twinning on demand is nearly a management reality for the beef farmer. Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Brandon, MB, have successfully combined fixed-time, artificial insemination (AI) with embryo transfer. The technique uses low-cost, male-sex dairy embryos to increase calf production (pounds of weaned calf) in the beef herd by 85 per cent. Producers can overcome some difficulties associated with twinning when superior, crossbred cows and easy-calving AI bulls are selected. The researchers believe a high-value, market niche for dairy heifers or specialized breeding stock could make the proposition worthwhile. Today's beef cow can rear two large calves a year. With a 40 per cent twinning rate, calculations indicate a 20 per cent higher return on investment for beef producers.