Canadian Farm Research Articles

Effect of age on hospitalized machine-related farm injuries among the Saskatchewan farm population.

Machinery-related injuries are the leading cause of fatal and hospitalized injuries on Canadian farms. In Saskatchewan, the proportion of all farm injuries related to farm machinery exceeds that reported for all of Canada. This project examined the relationship between age and various factors associated with farm machine-related injuries in Saskatchewan. A retrospective review of hospital discharge data from the administrative data set of Saskatchewan Health was conducted using external cause of injury codes to identify cases of farm machinery injury that occurred in Saskatchewan during the period April 1, 1990, to March 31, 2000. Log linear estimates of association of various factors in four age groups were derived. There were 1,493 hospitalizations attributed to farm machinery-related injuries. Among the injured cohort, age was a predictor of the rate of injury. Significant association for nature of injury, mechanism of injury, and type of machine varied by age group. These data provide insights for a case-control study of farm machinery-related injuries with the objective of determining personal, environmental, and machine-related factors that are responsible for this serious public health issue.

The Impact of Farm Machinery Management on the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Canadian Agriculture

ABSTRACT The impact of proposed changes in field operations and land use on fossil fuel consumption on Canadian farms was analyzed using a computer model of the mechanics of farm machinery. The model predicted tractor/harvester power needs (kW), implement sizes and work required (kW-h) to complete each field operation on model farms in Canada's four farming regions. These predictions were integrated nationally using crop area statistics. Farm fieldwork predictions were converted to volume of fuel (l), consumed fuel energy (PJ) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Tg of CO2 equivalent). The model was used to assess the sensitivity of GHG emissions to reduced and zero tillage, removal of summer fallow from the Prairies, increased permanent cover (perennial forage), fuel type and timeliness strategies. These practices are all under consideration as carbon sequestration measures. While fossil fuel consumption is small in comparison to other terms in the agricultural GHG balance (such as nitrous oxide and ruminant methane), modeling on-farm fossil fuel consumption in response to these land management measures has a role to play in climate change mitigation strategies. The model and the sensitivity analysis described here can be applied in any country with mechanized agriculture.

The Divergence in Canada‐U.S. Grain and Oilseed Policies

This paper discusses U.S. and Canadian farm programs for grains and oilseeds. In spite of the passage of the U.S. FAIR Act in 1996, where subsidies were to be greatly reduced, subsidies reached an all‐time high of over $20 billion in 2000. In Canada, just the opposite occurred, as support for the grains and oilseeds sector has dropped sharply since the mid‐1990s. In addition to differences in support levels, the farm prog rams are very different. NISA and AIDA are prominent in the landscape in Canada, while under FAIR, loan deficiency payments are a key ingredient. We provide some explanations for the divergence in farm programs between the two countries, including a discussion of rent seeking and public choice.

Variation between ranch blue fox populations in cranial form

The aim of this study was to describe the differences in cranial size and shape that occur between different farmed blue fox populations within and between countries. The skulls were obtained at the pelting time from three Finnish, one Estonian, one Norwegian and seven Canadian farms. The material was subjected to a principal component (PC) analysis for each sex. The first PC‐factor explained about 50% of variation. It was identified as the size factor; it discriminated Finnish blue foxes at one end and Nova Scotia foxes at the other end of the scale. The second PC‐factor explained about 10% of variation in skull morphology but failed to discriminate the populations. The third factor, which was dominated by interorbital width, discriminated Nova Scotia foxes from the other populations. PC‐factor 4 received its highest loading from the length of upper tooth row. This factor differentiated, although poorly, the Newfoundland fox populations, whether local or crosses between the local and the imported Finnish stock, from the others. The sexes were significantly different on most single parameters and the skulls of all farm populations were larger than those of wild Arctic foxes. However, there were also large differences in skull morphology between farms within one country. This shows that farmed blue foxes in different countries have not yet diverged into anatomically distinct populations.

The Impact of Bank Mergers on Canadian Farm and Rural Communities

This paper initiates a discussion on the probable impacts of bank mergers on farms and rural commu- nities in Canada. Motivated by the early 1998 merger announcements by four of Canada's largest banks, this paper identifies the economic drivers behind merger activity, and then addresses specific issues related to agriculture. Although the proposed mergers were canceled by the end of 1998, our research and analysis indicates that the overall effect would not have been grossly negative and in many aspects would have been positive. Subsequent attempts to merge banks are likely, and the discussion and analysis of this paper provide a basis to analyze and discuss the merger issue. Nous examinons les impacts éventuels des fusions bancaires sur les fermes et sur les collectivités rurales au Canada. Inspirés par les projets de fusion fails au début de 1998 par quatre des principales banques du pays, nous dégageons les forces économiques sous-tendant ces projets, pour ensuite nous arreter sur les questions qu'elles impliquentpour le secteur agricole. Même si ces projets n'ontpas eu de suite dans l'immédiat, nos recherches et notre analyse montrent que les conséquences génerales de telles fusions n'auraient pas été catastrophiques et que même, sur de nombreux aspects elles auraient été positives. Comme d'autres tentatives de fusion bancaire verront très probablement le jour, la présente analyse apporte d'ores et déjà une base d'examen de toute la question.

Succession Patterns of Farmer and Successor in Canadian Farm Families1

Abstract Two different succession patterns, the entrepreneur and the yeoman, were identified by Salamon and her colleagues (e.g., Salamon 1985; Salamon et al. 1986) among ethnic families on century farms. The applicability of this typology for succession on Canadian farms was assessed among 36 families who had transferred or were making provisions for transferring the farm. Case studies revealed patterns consistent with the Salamon typology for a quarter of our families, but the yeoman and entrepreneur styles were not the central contrast that differentiated them. Instead, two approaches to farm management were identified: the expander and the conservator. The combination of these two approaches in the older farmer and younger successor comprise four farmer‐successor succession patterns: expander‐expander; expander‐conservator; conservator‐expander; and conservator‐conservator. Each style has different working relationships, succession strategies, and areas of potential difficulty.

Will WTO Domestic Support Provisions Constrain Domestic Agricultural Policies?

For the first time, the agricultural trade negotiations in the Uruguay Round imposed disciplines on the domestic support programs of Canada and other members of the World Trade Organization. This paper describes the principal domestic support provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture and Canada's notification of compliance for 1995. It discusses the implementation of the disciplines and emerging issues for further negotiations to begin in late 1999, and assesses their implications for Canadian domestic policies. The paper concludes that the disciplines have been a factor in Canadian farm policy formulation, and their influence is expected to continue and be strengthened through further trade negotiations.

Suicide mortality and pesticide use among Canadian farmers

Background An exploratory, case-control study was used to investigate a new hypothesis about suicide among farm operators. This hypothesis suggested a biologically plausible link between exposures to certain pesticides and the occurrence of suicide among farm operators. These analyses were based on data from the Canadian Farm Operator Cohort. Methods Canadian male farm operators who committed suicide between 1971–1987 (n = 1,457) were compared with a frequency matched (by age and province) sample of control farm operators (n = 11,656) who were alive at the time of death of individual cases. Comparisons focused on past exposures to pesticides reported to the 1971 Canada Census of Agriculture. Results Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated no associations between suicide and (1) acres sprayed with herbicides, (2) acres sprayed with insecticides, and (3) the costs of agricultural chemicals purchased; after controlling for important covariates. There was, however, a suggestive increase in risk for suicide associated with herbicide and insecticide spraying among a subgroup of farm operators who were most likely to be directly exposed to pesticides: OR = 1.71 (95% CI = 1.08–2.71) for 1–48 vs. 0 acres sprayed. Additional risk factors that were identified included seasonal vs. year-round farm work (OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.15–2.46); and high levels of paid labor on the farm (e.g., OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.24–2.10, for >13 vs. 0 weeks per year). Factors that were protective included marriage (odds ratio (OR) = 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.58–0.81), having more than one person resident in the farm house (e.g., two vs. one person; OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.42–0.92); and higher levels of education (e.g., postsecondary vs. primary; OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.17–0.96). Conclusions This study does not provide strong support for the main hypothesis under study, that exposure to pesticides is an important risk factor for suicide among farmers. Although secondary to the main hypothesis, a number of other risk factors for suicide were suggested. These have implications for the future study and targeting of suicide prevention programs in rural Canada. Am. J. Ind. Med. 34:364–372, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Suicide mortality and pesticide use among Canadian farmers.

An exploratory, case-control study was used to investigate a new hypothesis about suicide among farm operators. This hypothesis suggested a biologically plausible link between exposures to certain pesticides and the occurrence of suicide among farm operators. These analyses were based on data from the Canadian Farm Operator Cohort. Canadian male farm operators who committed suicide between 1971-1987 (n = 1,457) were compared with a frequency matched (by age and province) sample of control farm operators (n = 11,656) who were alive at the time of death of individual cases. Comparisons focused on past exposures to pesticides reported to the 1971 Canada Census of Agriculture. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated no associations between suicide and (1) acres sprayed with herbicides, (2) acres sprayed with insecticides, and (3) the costs of agricultural chemicals purchased; after controlling for important covariates. There was, however, a suggestive increase in risk for suicide associated with herbicide and insecticide spraying among a subgroup of farm operators who were most likely to be directly exposed to pesticides: OR = 1.71 (95% CI = 1.08-2.71) for 1-48 vs. 0 acres sprayed. Additional risk factors that were identified included seasonal vs. year-round farm work (OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.15-2.46); and high levels of paid labor on the farm (e.g., OR = 1.61; 95% CI = 1.24-2.10, for > 13 vs. 0 weeks per year). Factors that were protective included marriage (odds ratio (OR) = 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.58-0.81), having more than one person resident in the farm house (e.g., two vs. one person; OR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.42-0.92); and higher levels of education (e.g., postsecondary vs. primary; OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.17-0.96). This study does not provide strong support for the main hypothesis under study, that exposure to pesticides is an important risk factor for suicide among farmers. Although secondary to the main hypothesis, a number of other risk factors for suicide were suggested. These have implications for the future study and targeting of suicide prevention programs in rural Canada.

A Chequered Progress:Farmers and the Telephone in Canada,1905-1951

The discontinuous and contingent development of farm and rural telephony in Canada, between 1905 and 1951, is explored in light of the common mythology of the inevitability of technological diffusion. The major spread of farm phones between 1905 and 1921 is traced and analysed, as is the major decline in farm telephone ownership during the Depression and the subsequent slow recovery. Provincial variations in phone farm diffusion are examined in light of average farm income, public and private phone company policies and the socio-economic context of agriculture. The argument that the automobile was substituted for the phone is discussed, with particular reference to the three prairie provinces, as is also the relatively swift recovery of Canadian farm telephony compared with the United States.

CANADIAN FARM INCOME SAFETY NETS AND U.S. COUNTERVAIL LAW

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the factors explaining U.S. countervail action. Factors that indicate changes in the political economic environment are incorporated into a logit model to explain the propensity to initiate a countervail suit. These factors, augmented by variables representing foreign subsidy specificity, are used in a logit model to explain the propensity to levy a countervail duty, once a suit is initiated. Evidence indicates that factors that would lead to political lobbying are significant in the initiation of a countervail suit. However, these variables are not significant in explaining the propensity to actually levy a duty; rather, the analysis finds that subsidy specificity criteria are the significant variables.

Giardia and Cryptosporidium in Canadian farm animals

Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. are commonly identified intestinal pathogens in humans and animals. In light of the clinical disease, production losses and zoonotic potential of both Giardia and Cryptosporidium infections, a study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of these parasites in cattle, sheep, pigs and horses in Canadian farms at different geographical locations. A total of 104 cattle, 89 sheep, 236 pigs and 35 horses were sampled from 15 different Canadian geographical locations. Fecal samples were examined after concentration and immunofluorescent staining. Giardia and Cryptosporidium were present in cattle and sheep in six out of six sites samples. In cattle the overall prevalence was 29% for Giardia and 20% for Cryptosporidium. Giardia was identified in 38% of sheep while 23% of sheep were positive for Cryptosporidium. Giardia and Cryptosporidium were identified in four out of six hog operations with an overall prevalence of 9% for Giardia and 11% for Cryptosporidium. All horse sampling locations ( 4 4 ) were positive for Giardia with 20% of animals infected. Cryptosporidium was identified in three out of four sampling sites with a prevalence of 17%. The prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium was greater in calves and lambs compared to adults. This study demonstrates that both Giardia and Cryptosporidium appear to be prevalent in farm livestock.

Thinking Styles and Financial Characteristics of Selected Canadian Farm Managers

The thinking styles of selected Canadian farm managers are identified using the life styles inventory (LSI). The farmers'LSI scores are compared with those of a base sample of nonfarmers, and correlations between the farmers'LSI scores and financial indicators are examined. Results indicate that farmers do thinking differently than nonfarmers and that there are significant correlations between thinking styles and financial measures.

Liquid Rhizobial Inoculants for Lentil and Field Pea

Traditional peat legume inoculants are viewed by western Canadian farmers as being difficult to apply. A liquid inoculant was developed and its feasibility as a carrier for Rhizobium leguminosarum bv vicieae strains 99A1 and 128C56G for lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and pea (Pisum sativum L.), respectively, was examined. The population of the strains exceeded 33.8 x 10 6 /oz (10 8 /mL) for 9 mo when held at 41°F and stored in a warehouse with temperatures between 41 and 70°F. One and 8 mo-old inoculant stored as previously described nodulated their host crop. Studies using commercial scale farm equipment determined that the liquid inoculant gave a very uniform coverage of the seeds when applied through a grain auger and that the inoculated seeds flowed well when planted using various types of seeding equipment. Pea producer trials in Saskatchewan showed that the liquid inoculant was much easier to apply than the peat inoculant and that the yield of field pea was similar with either inoculant. Research plot field trials in Saskatchewan and Alberta showed that the liquid inoculant for pea and lentil resulted in yields equal to or better than those observed for the peat inoculant and that proper inoculation gave yield increases of lentil cv Laird and field pea cv Radley and Express of 546 (29%) and 303 (9%) Ib/acre, respectively over the uninoculated control.

Conservative scoring and exclusion of the phenomenon of interest in linear enamel hypoplasia studies.

Conservative criteria are generally employed to select only "sufficiently large" linear enamel defects to be scored as linear enamel hypopasias (LEHs), a practice that excludes enamel defects below arbitrarily selected size thresholds. A question arising is, are such practices likely to exclude small, yet authentic(i.e., physiological stress induced) LEH? The permanent maxillary and mandibular first and second incisors, canines, and first premolars on dental casts (n = 532) form a contemporary Canadian farming commune were scored for LEH, with linear defects being categorized by both breadth and width to yeild the scores A (smallest), B, C, and D (largest). Relative frequencies were calculated as the percent prevalence of each score per tooth divided by the highest percent prevalence exhibited by any tooth in the same dental arch. The intertooth patters of the relative frequencies were tested for concordance. Secondly, assuming that different researchers employ different scoring criteria, tests for concordance of mean n of LEHs/tooth were conducted using data from four different reports as a second test for intertooth concordance of various-sized defects. Substantial concordance was obseved between A, B, C, and D (Kandall's coefficient of concordance, W = .65, P <.005) and in the interstudy comparison (W = .67, P <.01). Because it is unlikely that defects of varying sizes would have similar intertooth distributions if they did not have similar etiologies, it may be inferred that all of the defects observed, even the very small defects, A, are variants of the same phenomenon, LEH. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Towards a Canadian farm management resource centre: Preliminary concept study

This report documents a preliminary concept study commissioned in February 1992 by the Canadian Farm Business Management Council to review issues related to the development of a national farm management resource centre. The concept of a resource centre to service the information needs of farm management educators and related service providers was initially proposed as an integral component of a national Farm Business Management Program. However, the specific nature of such a centre has remained undefined. The present study was undertaken to identify issues related to the resource centre concept, to review available options for the design of such a system, and to identify a likely strategy for further development. The study was based on an extensive review of background materials and interviews with several experts in the field. A conference involving representatives of relevant stakeholder groups was also convened to provide additional input. The results, described in this report, suggest a relatively clear and consistent strategy for resource centre development. The specific elements of this strategy are described with respect to the most appropriate user groups and information applications to be served by the centre, the relevant holdings, methods of access and application of information technology, and related administrative and operational concerns. The strategies suggested are clearly consistent with the objectives of the Canadian Farm Business Management Program. Six recommendations are presented that outline a specific course of action toward further development and implementation of the resource centre concept.

Farm Women's Groups: Feminist or Farming or Community Groups, or New Social Movements?

The feminist movement is one of social change. The Canadian Farm Women's Network (CFWN) is in many respects a feminist movement and a movement of social change. It has a stated dual mandate of promoting rural community life and sustaining the farm family, while also increasing the recognition of female farm labour, and increasing representation of women on farming boards and in official farming statistics. The CFWN is active at the community and provincial level in most provinces. Promoting rural community life and the farm family calls, on the one hand, for the continued exploitation of women through undervalued voluntary community services and the provision of an invisible unrecognised farm labour force. On the other hand the very existence of a successful, visible farm women's group dispels the traditional silent role of farm women on farming issues and that part of its mandate which calls for increased female representation in farming activities and organisations calls for radical social change in farming circles. The many different aspects of these groups has led to difficulties of correct `categorisation' for sociologists, rural policy makers, funding agencies and feminists. These apparent `contradictions' are not incompatible for farm women however, and it is argued here that greater sensitivity to this is necessary on the part of academics and policy makers so that they assist rather than impede the activities of farm women.

Financial Characteristics of Canadian and American Farms, 1989

Financial Characteristics of Canadian and American Farms, 1989

Presidents of the Canadian Agricultural Economics and Farm Management Society

Presidents of the Canadian Agricultural Economics and Farm Management Society

Structural loads on bunker silo walls: Experimental study

An experiment to obtain wall pressures in a large bunker silo was carried out for 2 consecutive years. Normal wall pressures were measured with 18 pressure sensors mounted on a 3·7 m wide by 4·9 m high precast concrete wall panel of a 51 by 90 m bunker silo in Walker-ton, Ontario, Canada. The silo was filled with whole-plant corn silage both seasons. Wall pressures were measured during filling, during compaction with a 21 t bulldozer, and for about 3 months thereafter. Results from the 2-year experiment showed that the silage loading increases almost linearlywith depth measured from the silage surface. Thus, wall loading exerted by the silage can be expressed as a linear function of a pressure ratio and the silage density; the pressure ratio in this function would be the ratio of the normal wall pressure to the vertical stress in the silage. In the 1987 experiments, silage pressure was found to increase with depth at the rate of about 5·3 kPa/m and in the 1988 experiments at the rate of 6·8 kPa/m. The maximum pressure in 1988 was 28 kPa at the lowest sensor. In 1987, the top of the silage was flush with the top of the wall. In 1988, the silage was piled up well above the top of the wall with a surcharge angle of about 15°. The maximum values exceeded the 1983 Canadian Farm Building Code design load by afactor of 3·8 and 4·5 in 1987 and 1988, respectively. The maximum pressure in 1988 exceeded the new 1990 Canadian Farm Building Code by a factor of about 1·3. The maximum wall pressure due to the weight of the 21 t bulldozer used to compact thecorn was 10 kPa near the silage surface, 15% of the pressure under the tracks of the bulldozer.