GrainsWest Winter 2021

Winter 2021 Grains West 6 Goodnews inan otherwisedarkyear THE CO-OPERATIVE WEATHER conditions of fall 2020 ended a string of bad harvests and the total yield for all crops hit 107 per cent of the 10-year average. However, celebration was muted. In certain areas, spring flooding left farmers with little to harvest and the coronavirus pandemic raged on. For most, the good news that might have been cheered in another year was greeted with subdued relief. In another positive development, agri- culture has been tapped as a central facet of the Alberta Recovery Plan. “We’ve all realized that agriculture can be part of the solution to the economic struggles this province is facing,” said Tom Steve, general manager of the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions in “Alberta Recovery Plan goes into action” (pg. 8). Established to heal the pandemic-ravaged economy, it in- corporates a slate of ag-focused initiatives. In part, these aim to expand market op- portunities for agricultural products. This happens to be the focus of our cover story. “Think inside the box” (pg. 26) follows the trail of global sales opportunities for containerized grain shipments. While oceangoing bulk vessels carry the major- ity of the Prairie crop to world markets, containers allow the industry to serve a huge variety of global customers it would not otherwise be able to. While the pulse crop sector has been particularly well-served by container shipping, opportunities certainly exist for cereals. Japanese buyers, for instance, take advantage of this means of importation. In line with the exacting standards of that nation’s brewers, lined containers are used to transport high-quality Canadian malting barley. Importantly, container shipping also allows smaller players to participate in the market. Also in the barley realm, Alberta entre- preneurs utilize containers to ship beer abroad. In “Alberta craft beer goes global” (pg. 30), we follow the journey made by Canadian beer to the liquor outlets, bars and restaurants in Australia and Sweden. A pioneering Calgary export company and its ambitious brewery partners have re- cently begun to take advantage of contain- er shipping to leverage the selling features of the province’s craft beer products. As Far Out Exporters crack an under- served market, the start-up enterprise aims to introduce international beer consumers to the best-kept secret in the world: Canadian beer. Rural oil and gas leases have been a source of profit and frustration for farmers. In 2020, the balance has leaned to aggravation as payments from industry shrank or ceased altogether. In welcome news for landowners, the federal and provincial governments have loaned millions to the industry-operated Orphan Wells Association for well closure work. The feds have also provided Alberta’s Site Rehabilitation Program with $1 billion to fund reclamation work. In “Sore spots” (pg. 20), Alberta farmers speak out about their experiences, positive and negative, with well sites and remediation. In this issue of GrainsWest you will also read a solid selection of stories related to agronomics. As so-called digital disrup- tion has swept various economic sectors, the trend has inevitably entered the farm inputs arena. “Adapt or die” (pg. 34) exam- ines the impact this phenomenon has had on the marketplace. In the first of a two-part series on underutilized white wheat classes, “Soft, white and lucrative” (pg. 40) examines the agronomic upside and economic oppor- tunities in soft varieties. Another cereal whose place in Prairie production has been diminished, durum’s susceptibility to Fusarium head blight is being addressed in variety development. “FHB resistance in durum a work in progress” (pg. 38) looks at research projects that tackle this tricky breeding work. Like the year past, these stories illus- trate there’s no such thing as business as usual in farming. Change and variability are constant. As we raise a glass to the good news stories of 2020, we think of the many who suffered personal and econom- ic loss and wish everyone happier times . EDITOR’S MESSAGE Eli Horne (left) and Doug Hamilton of Inner City Brewing in Calgary worked with Far Out Exporters to market container loads of Alberta craft beer to Sweden. Photo: ZoltanVaradi