By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter) with files from The Canadian Press

‘In the Field’ info on record grain movement and caution about energy leases.

Mar 31, 2017 | 4:21 PM

LETHBRIDGE –   The ‘In the Field’ program aired on Country 95-5 each day this past week has covered a different topic, from a reprieve on pulse exports to India to words of caution when thinking about signing a renewable energy agreement.
 
The week started off with good news about Grain-Movement:

C-N Rail says grain movement is on record pace after a slow start last fall, due to wet conditions at harvest.

Director of Grain Marketing David Przednowek says record volumes have been set from September through to February.

He notes the average number for this time of year is about 4,000 cars per week.

He says the increase in grain movement has been made possible thanks to infrastructure investments by all players in the supply chain, including C-N.  
 
Renewable Energy Leases:
 
As our provincial government pushes for more renewable energy, a policy specialist with Alberta’s Farmers’ Advocate Office says landowners need to remember when negotiating leases with renewable energy companies that the rules aren’t the same as they are for oil and gas.

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Michele Del Colle told an audience in Cypress County last week that there are pluses, noting there is no standard contract, leaving landowners with a lot of leeway in their negotiations.

But the protections and guarantees of the Surface Rights Act do not apply to renewable energy companies, so if a company fails to live up to its obligations, legal action is the only recourse.

Del Colle says it’s crucial to contact your neighbours before you agree to anything, noting there are no do-overs once an agreement is signed. 
 
Conservation agreement for Southern Alberta Ranch:
 
One of Canada’s oldest working ranches will be protected as a result of a conservation agreement with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The 900-hectare Oxley Ranch in the southern Alberta foothills is owned and operated by Jennifer Barr and her family.

The ranch was established in 1882 and will still function as a cattle operation.

The agreement prevents cultivation of grasslands, drainage of wetlands, subdivision and land development.

The property has one of the last pieces of relatively intact fescue grassland in Alberta.

It is estimated that less than five per cent of such grassland remains in the country, making this area one of the most threatened regions of Canada.

Temporary reprieve for Pulse exports to India:
 
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay says India has given another last-minute extension to a waiver allowing Canadian pea and lentil exports without India’s required pest treatment.

MacAulay secured the three-month extension after a meeting with Indian officials in Delhi earlier this month.
The pest treatment Inida requires, uses methyl bromide, which is being phased out by Canada because it damages ozone layers. On top of that, the insect it is supposed to kill, is not native to Canada
 
India bought $1.1-billion worth of pulses last year from Canada, which accounted for 27.5 percent of Canada’s global pulse exports. Uncertainty over the treatment issue recently caused some shippers to refuse to take the cargo. 
 
 India has granted a series of exemptions since 2004 to an import regulation regarding mandatory fumigation of imported crops, in recognition of Canada’s cold climate. The end of the current exemption on March 31, had threatened to disrupt trade.

The new exemption means that Canadian pulse exports leaving Canada on or before June 30, won’t require fumigation in Canada. In the meantime, the government continues to work towards a long-term, science-based solution.