By Harry Brook

Farming is a very stressful occupation and is one of the few businesses where you have no control over the biggest factor determining success. Weather. You can do everything right, according to the book, yet, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, as it didn’t this year with moisture, the crop can be a failure. The blow was softened a bit this year by the remarkable run up in prices. However, it does not change the extreme stress related to farming and the financial burden required to fund putting a crop in and taking it off.

Farming is often a solitary occupation, where the producer will work alone for long periods.  When you add the extra stress of uncertain crop yields and markets, as well as the huge financial investment in the crop, it can feel overwhelming at times. Despite what it might feel like, producers are not alone in this.

There are a number of resources out there that specifically address the problems that farmers have to face. One resource is the Do More Agriculture Foundation. On their website, The Do More Agriculture Foundation (domore.ag), they have compiled a list of resources to help producers who need some help or just need to talk to someone. Being the strong, silent type is not necessarily healthy for your mental state of mind.

The Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta has recognized this is a problem and is also working on an Alberta Farm Mental Health Network. They are trying to identify and fill gaps in support, connecting people, projects and programs, as well as providing feedback to government and funders. They are trying to improve the collaboration and coordination of different groups.

How does stress affect you or how do you know if stress is causing problems? Are you withdrawing, not wanting to eat, constantly worrying? Included in the list are not sleeping well, being stuck thinking about the same thing constantly, and not being able to enjoy other things in life. People who are not usually irritable might be short-tempered. Unwilling to socialize and become withdrawn are signs.

Probably the biggest barrier to getting help is the stigma that is perceived in rural areas. It is hard to be anonymous in rural areas where everyone knows everyone else. Luckily, the issue of looking after mental health is becoming recognized as important rurally as well as in urban areas.

Physical exercise often helps with mood and relieve anxiety and it can provide a distraction from worries. Talking to someone can help as a burden shared is a burden halved. Socializing can be a good way to relieve stress.

Mental health covers so much more than just your mood. It affects a person physically as well as your thinking processes. Hopefully, as a society, we are recognizing the unique challenges that farming presents to our individual farmer and now you can find help easily if you need it. Sometimes, you need a little help to have a healthy mind and healthy body.

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Harry Brook is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: hbrook@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.

Flagstaff County has a rich history of Indigenous sites within our region. In fact, Flagstaff County gets its name from the region’s highest point, which the Cree referred to as Flag Hanging Hill. Legend has it that the hill, also known as Treaty Hill, was a popular gathering place for Indigenous people. It was also where Bishop Grandin met the Blackfoot and Cree, and forged peace between them.

Click HERE for more information.

Iron Creek Meteorite (Manitou Stone)

The Flagstaff Region was also home to Canada’s largest meteorite. Listed as weighing between 320 and 385 pounds, and measuring 50 to 60 cm in diameter, the Iron Creek Meteorite was located on a hilltop known as Strawstack Hill near the Iron Creek. The four-billion-year-old meteorite, also known as the Manitou Stone, consists mostly of pure iron. Early explorers noted that the ancient meteorite had great significance for the Indigenous in the region. Cree and Blackfoot made pilgrimages to it before bison hunts. The area around it became a gathering place for ceremonies. Tribal elders recognized its immense spiritual power, and felt it protected the people. The meteorite was removed sometime prior to 1869 by Methodist missionaries and placed at the Fort Victoria Mission near present-day Smoky Lake. After several relocations over the years, including Toronto, it is now housed in the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.

Click HERE for more information.

Hardisty Bison Pound

An archeological wonder, the Hardisty Bison Pound was discovered on the eastern edge of our County. Bison pounds were used as a common form of hunting on the Plains. Bison would have been herded into an enclosure (consisting of distinct landforms and a fence) to be slaughtered. In the case of the Hardisty Bison Pound, the Battle River valley and the surrounding hills combined to serve as a funnel for bison herds. Between 2008 and 2014, five separate archeological excavations took place at the Hardisty Bison Pound and an adjacent campsite. These two sites, located across the Battle River east of Hardisty, were excavated when discovered during construction at the Hardisty Terminal. Dates obtained from the site show that the latest and most intense occupation took place between 1,200 and 800 years ago. The site is of great interest because of the numerous rare artifacts present. There were 45,000 artifacts excavated, catalogued and stored at the Royal Alberta Museum from this find.

Viking Ribstones

Located on the highest hilltop 15 miles to the northwest of Strawstack Hill south of Highway 14, are two quartzite boulders known as the Viking Ribstones. The ribstones were carved by ancient Indigenous people as a monument to Old Man Buffalo, the spirit protector of the buffalo herds. Indigenous people left offerings at ribstones for good luck in hunting and to give thanks for a successful hunt. Today, their descendants continue this practice with offerings of tobacco. Ribstone sites are very rare – only nine have been found in Alberta. The Viking Ribstones are especially significant as they are still in their original setting.

Treaty 6 Acknowledgement at Council Meetings

The Reeve starts each Council meeting with the following acknowledgement of Treaty 6 Territory: “I’d like to acknowledge that we are on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional meeting ground, gathering place, and travelling route to the Cree, Saulteaux (So-toe), Blackfoot, Métis, Dene (De-nay) and Nakota Sioux (Sue). We acknowledge all the many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries.”

Treaty Background

There are 11 numbered treaties across Canada, with Treaties 6, 7 and 8 encompassing most of Alberta. The Treaties are constitutionally binding agreements between sovereign nations that set out the conditions for a peaceful alliance and the extinguishment of title from First Nations, from the Crown’s perspective. From the perspective of Indigenous people, treaties are built on an assumption of a respectful, cooperative and bilateral relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Treaties outline the rights, benefits and obligations of the signing parties to each other. The treaties in Canada are between the Crown and signing First Nations and reflect the worldviews and understanding of identity of the signing peoples (First Nations treaties in Alberta: Treaty 6).

Treaty 6 covers the central-west portions of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan. It was first signed on August 23, 1876 at Fort Carlton and on September 9, 1876 at Fort Pitt, Saskatchewan between the Crown, Cree, Chipewyan and Stoney nations. First Nations signatories to Treaty 6 were assured that they were agreeing to share the land and its resources rather than to completely surrender it to the Crown (First Nations treaties in Alberta: Treaty 6). An important step in reconciliation is the acknowledgment of traditional treaty land and recognition for people of the territory. Events, gatherings and meetings should all begin with a verbal acknowledgement (Indigenous Land Acknowledgements).

“Spanning generations, acknowledgement of the land is a traditional custom of Indigenous peoples when welcoming outsiders onto their land and into their homes. To build respectful relationships, acknowledging the land is an important part of reconciliation. It honours the authentic history of North America, its original people and tells the story of the creation of this country that has historically been missing.”

– The Calgary Foundation

By Harry Brook

As crop prices continue to rise, it has directly affected the price and use of land. We can see it all around us as brush and sloughs are being cleared or burnt to increase the “farmable” acres. Part of the area that some producers might be using are undeveloped road allowances. Even though a road allowance may be undeveloped or grown back in, it doesn’t change the fact that those areas are under the direction, control and management of the municipality. The title to all roads in a municipality is vested in the Crown in right of Alberta.

Western Canada was first surveyed under the Dominion Land Survey in the 1870s. It set aside land for road allowances between sections for field access purposes. A road allowance was measured as being one chain wide, which is 66 feet. Each township of six miles by six miles has three roads east-west and a road allowance every mile going north-south. In some cases, roads and road allowances were surveyed outside this grid pattern to accommodate terrain features that prevented a road allowance from being developed (like gullies and steep slopes). As a matter of interest, a chain is four rods long and a rod is 16.5 feet long. If you measure a rod wide and a half mile long, you get exactly one acre.

A lot of the road allowances that were surveyed have never been developed. In some cases, they remain in native grass and brush or have been historically cropped or grazed. With respect to these particular road allowances, despite the fact they are being utilized by adjacent landowners, they are still under the control of the County. Just because a road allowance is undeveloped does not change the fact it is public land with the intended sole purpose of access or travel.

Associated with this is the issue of agricultural encroachment onto existing developed right-of-ways, or to put it simply, cropping onto the roadsides. Part of the County’s responsibility is to control weeds along our municipal right-of-ways. To that end we try to keep the sides of the road vegetated in grass to prevent invasive weeds from establishing and spreading.

Unfortunately, we see many places along the edges of fields where the grass has been sprayed out due to sprayer booms moving onto the road allowance when the sprayer turns in the field. With the modern and high-tech sprayers we have today, this could easily be avoided. Those areas sprayed along the field margin are prime locations for weeds to establish. Then the County and adjacent landowner both have a weed problem to deal with.

To address Agricultural Encroachment on Municipal Right-of-Ways, the County has implemented the following guidelines:

1. The minimal acceptable standard allowed for cultivation and planting of annual and perennial crops adjacent to a right-of-way will be one (1) metre set back from the “toe” of the slope of the developed road. 
2. Any landowner/tenant agriculturally encroaching upon a right-of-way will be notified to stay a minimum of one (1) metre from the “toe” of the slope or further, dependent upon how it impacts the integrity of the road.  
3. Any crops found within the right-of-way as a result of non-compliance by the landowner/tenant, will be removed as part of Flagstaff County’s regular vegetation control program.  

Road allowances serve a valuable purpose, not only through the provision of access or travel, but as well as natural habitat for wildlife, pollinators etc. They can also be a source of conflict between landowners, the public and the County. Having a clear idea of the purpose and who holds jurisdiction should reduce this conflict. As it is advertised on roads and highways for multiuse, “Respect the Rules of the Road”. 

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Harry Brook is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: hbrook@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.

By Harry Brook

For years, the simple and effective way to dry down a crop to speed maturity and reduce moisture content in a crop, was to cut it and put it into a swath. Depending on weather conditions, the crop could be dry enough to combine or thresh in a week to 10 days. Maybe longer if it was cool.

Advantages to swathing the crop include some protection from weather events. A heavy, fall snow can leave a standing crop lodged, increasing the difficulty of harvest and slowing harvest speeds. A swathed crop tends to mature fairly evenly. Once moisture in the seed has dropped to 20% or less, then a killing frost will not affect seed quality. Seed inside the swath might even be protected from extreme conditions due to the protection of the straw over it. Weeds dry down pretty quickly and the crop swath feeds nicely into the combine. Risk of any late-season lodging is eliminated. If a crop has to overwinter in the swath, it may overwinter in better shape than a standing crop.

However, there are risks associated with swathing. Wet, rainy conditions can bleach seeds, leading to downgrading. Wet weather into late fall may slow the process of swath drying and a big swath might not dry at all. Or even worse, the seeds may stay wet long enough to start to germinate or even start rooting into the soil, making harvest both difficult and costly. A swathed crop can be slower to combine as there are lumps and possible plugging while feeding into the combine. A swathed crop left out over winter can become infested with mice or other vermin or weather to the point it loses most of its value. Swathing a short or thin crop runs the risk of falling through the stubble onto the ground and becoming impossible to harvest.

The alternative to swathing is to desiccate and straight cut the crop. Or you can let the crop mature on its own. This comes with its own share of positives and negatives. One positive is that straight cutting is less prone to quality loss while standing and dries quickly, when wetted, than in the swath. There is less chance of crop seeds germinating while standing and straight cutting eliminates the slower field activity of swathing. Straight cutting can increase harvest speeds and field efficiencies as you don’t have to put so much straw through the combine. Using a desiccant can increase harvest cost but quality gains from a standing crop can compensate.

Using a desiccant requires warm weather to work. Cool and damp weather after applying it may make it ineffective in quickening crop maturity. A potential disadvantage to straight cutting is the risk of crop shelling out while standing. Strong winds can move the crop canopy around, increasing grain and oilseed loss prior to harvest. An early snowfall while the crop is standing can lead to crop lodging and that can make harvest a slow and painful activity with some of the crop being un-harvestable. Leaving a crop standing over winter is even more risky as cereal heads can break off and canola and peas can shell out.

Desiccation can work to speed crop dry down but it isn’t only the crop that needs drying. Green weeds in the crop also need to be killed to speed up harvest. As some desiccants are contact products, high water volumes are needed to get adequate coverage. Those products that are systemic need the right weather conditions to actively kill the weeds. Then there is the issue of herbicide resistance developing in some of our weeds. Using the wrong product may still result in green weeds in a straight cut crop.

Both swathing and straight cutting can be the best harvest method, depending on current and future weather conditions. Although desiccation and straight cutting is gaining favour, don’t sell the swather. Either way, have a safe and productive harvest.

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Harry Brook is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: hbrook@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138.

On behalf of the Flagstaff Regional Emergency Services Society (FRESS), please see the following news release.

Happy Day of the Honey Bee!

As the world’s most important plant pollinator, the bee plays a critical role in our food system. In fact, a number of agricultural crops are almost totally dependent on honey bee pollination. Without bees, many fruits and seeds would not be produced.

Municipalities across Canada – including Flagstaff County – recognize the honey bee annually on May 29. Saskatoon beekeeper Clinton Shane Ekdahl first generated buzz for the Day of the Honey Bee in 2010 in the midst of an alarming drop in the bee population. Flagstaff County Council proclaimed the day in 2013 after receiving a letter from Ekdahl.

By Harry Brook

Flagstaff County has a primary responsibility to provide road access and weed control along County roads. The job is not as easy as it sounds. One area of concern is the encroachment of agricultural cropping into the County road right-of way. No big deal you say?

I beg to differ! To clarify. Road allowances are 66 feet wide. They were surveyed in the 1880s to 1890s by the federal government eager to claim sovereign to the prairies. Whether or not there is a road on it, it is still County property. This column is concerned with the farming practices alongside our existing gravel roads.

There are several areas along existing roads where this is a concern. When cropping encroaches on the road allowance, when a fence is placed within the road allowance, close to the road, and cropping into the roadway once the County has removed trees for field access. The Agricultural Service Board has recommended and the County Council has approved the following guidelines:

• The minimal acceptable standard allowed for cultivation and planting of annual and perennial crops adjacent to a developed road will be one meter set back from the “toe” of the slope of the developed road. This is done to preserve the integrity of the roadbed. Encroachment closer than the one meter can cause undermining of the roadbed and damage. We still need the roads to travel on.
• Any landowner/tenant agriculturally encroaching upon a developed right-of-way will be notified to stay a minimum of one meter from the “toe” of the slope or further dependent upon circumstances.
• In addition, any crops found within the right-of-way, as a result of non-compliance by the landowner/tenant, will be removed as part of the County’s regular vegetation control program.

A big part of our roadside weed control relies upon the establishment of perennial grasses on the road slopes and into the ditch to prevent any weeds from taking root. That expensive work is undone when a careless sprayer oversteps the edge of the field and sprays into the right-of-way. Spray drift is also a problem when producers spray in windy conditions, causing drift onto the allowance. This provides a perfect opportunity for those noxious weeds to gain a foothold. And from the ditch, it is only a short step into a cropped field. Do we really need to make more work and expense for everyone?

A little care and attention during spraying season can save everyone a lot of trouble and expense. Preserve the road and the road allowance by paying attention to the divide between your farmland and the County road allowance. It’s in everyone’s benefit.

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Harry Brook is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: hbrook@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138. 

In lieu of our annual public open house due to ongoing COVID restrictions, Council is using the Flagstaff County podcast to publicly engage with residents.

Listen as the reeve and councillors highlight current programs, services and priorities. (For further information, click HERE to view the 2021-2023 Business Plan and 2021 Budget.)

Then, if you have any comments or questions, or any suggestions for new programs and services, please email them to budgetinput2022@flagstaff.ab.ca. Council will present your feedback and respond to questions in a follow-up episode.

By Harry Brook

Spring is rapidly approaching and that means seeding season. A large part of seeding costs is fertilizer. The most important nutrient for plant growth (after water) is nitrogen. How much is enough and how effective is your fertilizer application? To understand how this works we need to look at the nitrogen cycle.

The nitrogen cycle is important as it identifies places and conditions where nitrogen can be lost to the plant and that affects efficiency and value from your fertilizer investment. All nitrogen enters the plant in either the nitrate or ammonia form, almost entirely through the roots. Nitrogen is the key nutrient for crop growth. It is needed in the greatest quantities and a crop response from nitrogen is almost guaranteed.

As nitrate is very soluble in water and moves with water, it can be subject to losses in the soil. In years with heavy, spring rains, nitrogen can leach out of the plant rooting zone and be lost to the crop. Symptoms of nitrogen deficiency are easy to identify as yellowing or light green colour on the crop leaves.

Under conditions where the soil is saturated there can be significant losses to fertilizer nitrogen through denitrification. When there is no oxygen, anaerobic bacteria break the nitrate down and release nitrogen gas. You also get denitrification when nitrogen fertilizer is surface applied and left on the soil surface. If there is no rain or moisture to take the nitrogen down into the root zone, warm temperatures will cause a volatilization where the nitrogen is converted to a gas and dissipates into the air. This occurs most rapidly when urea is used as the nitrogen source, but it can also occur with liquid fertilizers left on the surface.

Too much fertilizer in the seed row will harm the seeds due to high salt content, preventing the seedlings from obtaining water. That is why it is best to place the majority of nitrogen in a band in the soil, separated from the seed row. In a concentrated band, there is much less likelihood of major losses of nutrients due to weather conditions and it is accessible by the roots once the plant is established.

You should test your soils on a regular basis prior to ordering your fertilizer. Get soil tests from the 0 to 6” and 6 to 12” depths. You can test just before freeze-up in fall or early in the spring. This gives you a good idea of what is available in the soil for the spring. Usually, soil tests will give you an estimate of nitrogen that will be available from the soil organic matter over the summer. It is directly in relation to the soil organic matter you have. A rough rule of thumb is that you can expect about .6 lbs of nitrogen for every 0.1% organic matter in the soil. That means a 3% organic matter should provide about 18 pounds of nitrogen for the crop.

Nitrogen uptake by the developing crop occurs early in the plant’s growth. Most of the nitrogen is absorbed by the time of heading. That is why it is crucial to have sufficient nutrients available in the early stages of plant growth. Applying nitrogen after germination and emergence has limited value, especially after stem elongation. Up to the 6-leaf stage in cereals, nitrogen application can add to yield but after the 6-leaf stage you can only influence protein levels in the grain. Yield potential is set around the 6-leaf stage as the head is developing in the stem, prior to stem elongation. Foliar applications of nitrogen are a waste of time as the nitrogen can burn the leaves if levels are to high and it still needs to be washed down into the root zone to make a difference.

Nitrogen fertilizer is a big part of the fertilizer bill. Apply it at the proper time, place, rate and source to get the biggest bang for your buck. Below are some links to videos on nitrogen fertilizer.

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Harry Brook is Flagstaff County’s Agricultural Fieldman. He can be reached via email at: hbrook@flagstaff.ab.ca or by phone at: 780-384-4138. 

Municipalities have experienced significant financial impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada are providing operating funding support to municipalities through the Municipal Operating Support Transfer (MOST). This funding is provided as part of the Safe Restart Agreement. This program will support municipalities by funding incremental costs and reduced revenues associated with the pandemic and actions taken in response to it. MOST funding may only be used for eligible operating expenses or operating losses or deficits incurred between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Any funds not used before March 31, 2021 must be returned to the Government of Alberta. Municipalities that received MOST funding are required to submit a Statement of Funding and Expenditures (SFE) by July 2, 2021 that reports on the use of MOST funds and captures basic information to which the funding was applied. Flagstaff County’s allocation is $383,506.

While Flagstaff County experienced additional expenditures and revenue losses due to COVID-19, not-for-profit organizations that provide facilities and services/programs for County residents have also undoubtedly been financially impacted. Examples of these organizations include, but may not be limited to, 4-H clubs, museum organizations, recreation facilities/societies, community hall groups, etc.

Eligible expenses are those related to COVID-19 and include:

• Personal protective equipment
• Supplemental cleaning
• Supports for vulnerable populations
• Replacement of reduced revenue
• Increased staffing

At the February 10, 2021 Council Meeting, Council passed: 

Resolution #FC20210210.1006 THAT Flagstaff County utilize $383,506 of the Municipal Operating Support Transfer (MOST) funding to be allocated on an application basis to not-for-profit organizations to help cover the additional costs/expenses of programs/services/facilities in the Flagstaff Region that have been financially impacted by Covid-19. The application process and adjudication of applications will be completed by a committee that includes administrative staff and 2 Councillors, with recommendations to be brought back to the March 24, 2021 Council meeting.

Resolution #FC20210210.1007 THAT Clr. Herle and Clr. Eckstrand be appointed to the Municipal Operating Support Transfer (MOST) grant funding committee. The Committee approved an application form and application process; applications were accepted from February 19ᵗʰ, 2021 – March 11ᵗʰ, 2021 at 11:59PM.

High level analytics and application details include the following:

• 65 applications were received
• Total funding requests were $1,014,323.
• The smallest funding request was $406; the largest funding request was $75,000.
• The average funding request was $15,605.
  Applications were received from organizations including, but not limited to agricultural societies, arenas, curling clubs, community centers, seniors’ centers, libraries, golf clubs and community service groups.

Due to funding requests being so much greater than available MOST funding to distribute, the committee used the following guidelines for distribution:

• A maximum of $10,000 was awarded to one organization.
• Utilities, insurance, and other operating costs incurred from April 2020 – March 2021 are not “Covid-19” impacts; an organization will be compensated only for reduced revenue because of Covid-19.
• Forecasted Covid-19 impacts after March 2021 are ineligible.
• Costs related to PPE, supplemental cleaning, and vulnerable populations will be prioritized for full reimbursement (this totals approximately $44,000 across all applications).
• Golf clubs were able to remain open and earn revenue through much of the 2020 season; funding was allocated for PPE/cleaning costs, however not reduced revenue.
• All six curling clubs in the region applied; $5,000 was allocated to each.
• Six agricultural societies applied; requests ranged from $5,000 – $35,000 per society. They were awarded a maximum of $10,000, consistent with other organizations.
• Libraries were allocated a maximum of $2,000.

All applicants that applied prior to the deadline of March 11ᵗʰ received some amount of funding for their organization, allowing funding to impact a diverse group of organizations across the Flagstaff Region.

Recipients

Click HERE for a list of MOST grant recipients.