NOVEMBER 2018 GERMINATION.CA 41 STORAGE & HANDLING DOWN TIME IS WASTED TIME Glenn Friesen Senior Vice-President, Meridian Manufacturing @GfriesenGlenn • gfriesen@meridianmfg.com • meridianmfg.com IN ONE OF OUR ad messages we used the phrase, “Down time is the worst time.” Nothing gets done when equip- ment unexpectedly fails or breaks down. In Aesop’s Fables — a collection of fictional stories with an ethical or educational message that is credited to Aesop, an ancient Greek slave and storyteller — there is a meaningful story that concerns an arrogant hare who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise. Tired of the hare’s cocky attitude, the tortoise challenges a faster hare to a race. In the fable, the tortoise wins because the hare quickly gets tired and must stop to rest. The story still has meaning for us 2,500 years later. In today’s competitive business economy, neither the tortoise nor the hare has all that it takes to win the race. Being slow and steady will not necessarily win the race, nor speed without dependability. A winning combina- tion combines the tortoise‘s steadiness and reliability with the hare’s speed and quickness. Think about a machine’s speed and capacity. They are simple to measure and easy to compare. With a snip- pet of time and a stopwatch, capacity can be measured. There is always an intermediate leader. Midway through every auto race, someone sits atop the leader board, but the prize money will be awarded to the one who com- pletes the entire race and finishes first. An unexpected pit stop in a late lap is wasted time — or down time when a breakdown occurs during the busy season. Down time can determine a race’s winner. It can also determine whether a customer is pleased or frustrated with your performance. Speed and capacity without reli- ability are less than a winning combination. Most seed tenders can quickly fill planters and seeders to minimize filling and waiting time. Augers and conveyors have capacity to move product quickly and safely. However, the race is a multiyear marathon, not a one-season sprint. Time will test a machine’s design and the integrity of its components, measured by down time. Down time is wasted time. It is most costly when time is of the essence at the height of planting or harvest. Being slow and steady will not win the race. Neither will speed without dependability. Meridian equipment is designed to include the best of both the hare and the tortoise. ONE OF THE pests that defined the 2018 growing season was the pea leaf weevil. Why? Because this is a story that has it all: a pest that often flies under the radar, spreads quickly and quietly, and if not mitigated can do significant damage. This is a perfect storm of factors that make for potentially devastat- ing results. In case you’re not familiar with it, the pea leaf weevil is an insect that feeds on the root nodules (larvae) of pea and fababean fields and leaves (adults) of a wide range of cultivated and wild legume species, Alberta Agriculture notes. It’s native to Europe and was first identified in Alberta by AAFC entomologist Bob Byers. The first recorded case of this insect attacking peas in Alberta was in 2000 near Lethbridge. Subsequent surveys have revealed considerable range expansion and increasing damage — it’s now present in Saskatchewan and is virtu- ally at western Manitoba’s doorstep. The insect overwinters in ditches and shelterbelts, and in the spring comes out to feed, laying its eggs in the soil with peas and fababeans being its favourite. One adult SEED TREATMENT PEA LEAF WEEVIL AND THE DANGER OF THE “MOVE FACTOR” Brittnye Kroeker SeedGrowth Specialist, Bayer Canada brittnye.kroeker@bayer.com • bayer.ca can lay up to 1,000 eggs, making it potentially prob- lematic in a hurry. They do their greatest damage at the larvae stage. The pea leaf weevil has been a focus insect in Saskatchewan and should be watched in Manitoba due to the “move factor.” This pest has been steadily moving eastward from Alberta (the government of Saskatchewan has some excellent maps) because pulses are becoming more popular to grow. The best defence? • Get peas/faba beans seeded early before the adults emerge in the spring. This will give your crop a head start. Once the plant gets past the six-node stage, it can deal quite handily with the effects of pea leaf weevil. • Monitor your fields. In cases where the pest is present at severe levels, I recommend adding an insecti- cide like Stress Shield® to your fungicide seed treatment (Trilex® EverGol® ). Using a foliar spray to fight pea leaf weevil usually isn’t very economical. With proper vigilance, we can tackle this problem and ensure you don’t let the pea leaf weevil have its dinner on your dime.