36 GERMINATION.CA JULY 2017 Here, experts from across the industry will discuss issues that are top-of-mind, share technical advancements, talk about tips for success and provide perspective on policy. SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE (SCN) and sudden death syn- drome (SDS) are two of the biggest emerging problems on the soybean battlefield right now, and there’s a lot of bad news to be reported. SCN is a worm that lives in roots that was first found in the southern United States in the early 20th century. It likely came over from Asia on some ornamental rootstalk, but no one can be sure. Its first occurrence in Canada was in Ontario in 1988. As soybeans become even more prominent, so does SCN. SCN is one of the only nematodes that have a life stage visible to the naked eye. It’s the female nematode that sticks out of a root when she is full of eggs, forming a cyst. On average, you get a 10 to 15 per cent loss in yield and you can never even see symptomology. Although not directly related, SDS and SCN can be a lethal combination if you have both. SDS is caused by a specific strain of fusarium that causes a toxin to form in SEED TREATMENT WAR AGAINST SOYBEAN ENEMIES GOING IN OUR FAVOUR Rodney Tocco SeedGrowth Tech Rep, Field Operations Midwest, Bayer Crop Science Rodney.Tocco@bayer.com • bayer.ca CANADIAN FARMLAND VALUES increased at an average annual rate of 7.9 per cent in 2016. While farmland values continue to strengthen, their rate of growth continues to slow overall. This is the third consecutive year the rate of increase declined year-over-year. 1. Growth Slows — 2016 farmland values increased in every province (except Newfoundland and Labrador – not enough data), with increases ranging from 1.9 per cent (N.B.) to 13.4 per cent (P.E.I.). However, the rate of growth slowed for the third consecutive year in Saskatchewan, and for the fourth successive year in Quebec and Ontario. A slowdown in the rate of apprecia- tion at a time when crop receipts show signs of levelling out helps to keep farmland accessible for producers wish- ing to expand. 2. No Two Regions are Alike — The market for farmland is truly local. One region’s average annual variation often BUSINESS & FINANCE 2016 CANADIAN FARMLAND VALUES: THREE THINGS TO KNOW J.P. Gervais Vice-President and Chief Agricultural Economist, Farm Credit Canada @jpgervais • jp.gervais@fcc-fac.ca • fcc-fac.ca the roots early in the season. It moves up the plant and into the foliage when the plant translocates water late in the season. Thankfully, I can report that there’s positive news to be shared. We’re learning more about these two problems, and we have effective tools to fight these soybean enemies. An important one is a new Group 7 active in soybeans called fluopyram (the key active in ILeVO seed treatment), the first seed treatment in Canada registered to protect against SCN and SDS. Other weapons include the common sense basics: choose varieties with built-in SCN and SDS resistance. Crop rotations are also crucial for fighting SCN. Currently, there’s no way to rotate out of an SDS problem. While both of these problems will only become worse as time goes on, we can manage and try to keep ahead of them with new tools currently available. differs from the next. For example, Saskatchewan’s East Central region recorded flat prices on average, while the Northeast region recorded a 9.3 per cent average increase – an increase concentrated in only a few areas within the region. 3. Income and Interest Rates: Two Important Drivers — Healthy farm incomes helped drive up farmland values. Crop receipts grew six per cent from 2015, or 14 per cent above the average of the 2011-2015 period. This was thanks to a low loonie, which helped strengthen demand for Canadian ag products and soften the impact of weather-related pro- duction issues in the West. Low interest rates also support growth in farmland values. The effective business interest rate of the Bank of Canada steadily declined throughout 2016, reaching a record-low in the last quarter of 2016. For even more insights and trends, check out our 2016 Farmland Values Report page at https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/ about-fcc/governance/reports/farmland-values-report.html.