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Attention all RMs:

Re: Concerns regarding 2% Liquid Strychnine

SARM is concerned that unless we can demonstrate that 2% liquid strychnine concentrate is being stored, sold and applied properly it could jeopardize its availability for use in Saskatchewan.   The Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is currently providing a “restricted” registration for this product due to its health and environment risks and monitors it closely.

As part of the restricted registration:

• RMs can sell/distribute 2% liquid strychnine concentrate to their ratepayers for use on their own agricultural land to control Richardson Ground Squirrel.
• Ratepayers are required to fill out a Purchase Agreement and Product Evaluation Form and return it to the RM.   Please see forms attached.
• The RM then provides copies of these forms to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (SMA).   Email reminders are send out from SMA via SARM to RMs.

SARM is reaching out to RMs selling this product to assist by emphasizing to ratepayers the importance of abiding by the restrictions and returning the required forms so we can maintain the availability of this product for use in Saskatchewan.

Please see the attached letter that PMRA sent to RMs in 2015 which outlines the requirements for selling, storing and applying this restricted chemical.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

Ray Orb

President

For the Period May 8 to 14, 2018

Thanks to good seeding conditions, Saskatchewan producers made up the time lost in previous weeks.  Thirty-five per cent of the crop is now in the ground, just ahead of the five-year (2013-2017) seeding average of 32 per cent for this time of year. Crops are starting to emerge.

Seeding is furthest advanced in the southeast, where 49 per cent of the crop is in the ground.  Forty-five per cent is seeded in the southwest, 28 per cent in the northeast, 26 per cent in the west–central region and 24 per cent in the east-central and northwestern regions.

Rain showers were reported throughout the province, particularly in the southwestern and west-central regions. The Gull Lake area received 18 mm of rain, the most in the province.  There have been multiple reports of grass and stubble fires due to the dry conditions and rain would be welcomed to help alleviate dry field conditions and concerns.

Most areas need rain to help alleviate dry field conditions.

Thirty-three per cent of the spring wheat, 26 per cent of the canola, 57 per cent of the lentils and 63 per cent of the field peas have been seeded to date.  Little rain, warm temperatures and strong and warm winds have caused topsoil moisture conditions to decline.  Hay and pasture growth is slow due to little rainfall.  Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as 57 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and eight per cent very short.  Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as 40 per cent adequate, 43 per cent short and 17 per cent very short.

Producers are busy seeding, controlling weeds and moving cattle.

SaskPower reports 46 cases of farm machinery contacting electrical equipment in the last week, bringing the total for May to 73. Most farm-related incidents happen during seeding.  SaskPower reminds producers to be aware of their surroundings at all times and to plan ahead.  More safety information is available at www.saskpower.com/safety.

The Rural Municipality of Cupar #218, the Village of Markinch and the Town of Cupar have issued a fire ban effective May 16, 2018.  This ban includes all open fires, camp fires, fires used for cooking, briquette barbecues, burning barrels, chimneys, briquette fire pits, portable fire pits including those contained in designated fire facilities and the discharge of all fireworks.

The ban does not apply to fires contained in cooking appliances fueled by propane or natural gas such as BBQ’s or Coleman stoves.

This order takes effect on May 16, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. and is in effect until further notice.  Please be advised a minimum fine for starting a fire is $500.

For further information contact the RM office at (306) 723-4726 or rm218@sasktel.net

For the Period May 1 to 7, 2018

Seeding is underway for many producers, with more expecting to hit the field in the coming week.  Nine per cent of the crop is now in the ground, behind the five-year (2013-2017) seeding average of 19 per cent for this time of year.  A slow start to spring has delayed field operations in much of the province.

Seeding is furthest advanced in the southwestern region, where 18 per cent of the crop is in the ground.  Fifteen per cent is seeded in the southeast, while all other regions in the province are reporting three per cent seeded.

Little to no rainfall was reported last week in most regions, with the Swift Current area receiving the most – 9.5 mm.  Many areas received rain earlier this week that will help with the dry field conditions.

Strong and warm winds have dried fields throughout the province, and many producers will need rain in the coming weeks to help crops germinate and establish.  Provincially, topsoil moisture conditions on cropland are rated as three per cent surplus, 67 per cent adequate, 25 per cent short and five per cent very short.  Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 55 per cent adequate, 31 per cent short and 12 per cent very short.

Winter wheat assessment continues as fields green up.  Pasture and hay land growth has been slow and some cattle producers are supplementing feed.  There have been multiple reports of grass and stubble fires due to the dry conditions and rain would be welcomed to help alleviate concerns.

Farmers are busy seeding, working fields, controlling weeds and moving cattle.

SaskPower reports 25 cases of farm machinery coming into contact with electrical equipment over the last week, bringing the total for this month to 27.  SaskPower reminds producers that most farming-related incidents happen during seeding and spraying.  Check for overhead lines before beginning your work.  More safety information is available at www.saskpower.com/safety.

The hay salvage and mowing program provides:

• free hay to farmers
• a neat appearance
• improved visibility
• better control of brush and noxious weed growth
• adequate snow storage in ditches during the winter months

Farmers may salvage hay anytime during the spring or summer months. Landowners or lessees nearest/adjacent to the highway ditch have the first option to cut or bale this material unless the mowing contractor has begun salvage.

Cut hay at a uniform height in the ditches. Place hay bales no less than eight metres away from the shoulder of the highway. Hay bales will be removed in locations deemed dangerous for motorists.

The Government of Saskatchewan hires contractors to mow a four-metre-wide swath along the highway shoulders. Mowing may also be completed near some highway intersections and interchanges, railway crossings and tourism facilities.

Key Dates

• June 7 – July 15: Mowing includes a four-metre shoulder cut adjacent to the road. Highways 1, 7, 11, 16 and 39, along with portions of Highways 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10. Some highway intersections may receive a full ditch cut to ensure good sightlines.
• July 8: Prior to this date, a landowner or lessee nearest to a highway ditch has the first option to cut or bale hay. After this date, anyone may cut and bale hay or grass in a highway ditch without getting the permission of the adjacent landowner.
• July 15 – Oct. 15: Contractors begin mowing the width of ditches along all four-lane highways. All other highways get a four-metre cut adjacent to the highway shoulder.
• August 8: all hay bales must be removed from ditches or they will be removed

SoutheyTHposter

CTV News did a piece on Mental Health in Agriculture.  A good watch

https://regina.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1315684

There have been some recent changes to PDAP since insurance companies are now offering overland flood insurance.  PDAP covers non-insurable losses, however overland flooding is no longer considered non-insurable.

PDAP Q & A Overland Flood Insurance

PDAP & Overland Flood Insurance

TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Rural Municipality of Cupar #218 intends to Set the annual remuneration rate and custom work rate for Council at a meeting to be held on Friday January 19, 2018, in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Office, 113 Landsdowne Street in Cupar, SK 10:00 am.

A rabid skunk has been found in the RM of Cupar #218.  If you want more information contact:

Dr. Clarence Bischop
Rabies Risk Assessment Veterinarian (RRAV), SK AG
Cell (306)529-2190
Toll-Free Fax (844)666-3647
Clarence.Bischop@gov.sk.ca or RRAV@gov.sk.ca

Information on Rabies:

Treatment
Once an animal is showing clinical signs of infection, the disease is almost invariably fatal, and no treatment is effective.  Disease can often be prevented by immediate post-exposure vaccination.  Rabies can usually be prevented by vaccination, and vaccines are available for most domestic species.  Rabies vaccine was first developed in 1885 by Louis Pasteur and Emile Roux and successfully used to prevent disease in a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog.
Standard treatment for people that have been exposed is an injection of immune globulin infiltrated in the region of the bite as well as intramuscularly, followed by a series of vaccinations.  A series of five vaccines are administered on days; 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28.  Those which have been previously vaccinated are not given the immune globulin injection, only the vaccinations.  The immune globulin consists of  antibodies from blood donors given rabies vaccine.  The antibodies act as passive protection until the body’s own immune system can start to produce antibodies.

Any unvaccinated animal that has been exposed to rabies via bite or wound should be immediatley euthanized.  If the owner of the animal is unwilling to allow euthanasia then the animal is to be kept in isolation if it is a small animal or else under close observation if it is a large animal.  The animal should be vaccinated one month before release.  Post-Exposure Prophylaxis as is used with people is not used in animals.

For more information refer to the Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control

Image Credit:  http://www.drugs.com/pdr/images/pills/p06310a3.jpg

Prevention and Control
No vaccines are available for wildlife kept as pets, and the oral bait vaccines which are quite effective in controlling rabies in wild fox populations are not considered effective for individual animals kept as pets.  Baited vaccines are not available privately – they are only available for public control programs, including their use in some developing countries to control rabies in dogs.  Some protection may be given by an injectable vaccine for another species, but the efficacy is not known.
Vaccination is not completely protective, as titers may drop off with time, the dosage at exposure may be too high, or direct access of the rabies virus to the nervous system may occur, thereby circumventing immune protection.  This may occur if inhaling air with a high concentration of virus-laden saliva, and the virus may enter directly via the olfactory nerves.
Image Credit:  http://www.bioveta.cz/images_products/Biocan%20R.jpg
Historically control programs focused on reducing populations of the local carrier species and limiting contact of domestic and wild animals.  Much of this focused on trapping and killing to minimize the risk of infection by reducing the carrier population.  More recently aerial distribution of bait containing an attenuated virus vaccine has been quite successful in wild foxes, but has not been efficacious in raccoons and skunks because much higher baiting densities are required, greatly increasing the cost.

Image Credit:  http://agnews.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/WFSC/Dec1704a.htm                                    http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/zoonoses/rabies/picbait1.htm

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recognizes about 25 countries to be free of rabies, of which Australia, Finland, Japan, Jamaica, Sweden and the United Kingdom are included.  Rabies has never become endemic in the United Kingdom.  It was eradicated from the dog population in 1902 and again in 1922 after it was reintroduced in 1918.  Presently, rabies free countries rigidly enforce strict quarantine periods for dogs and cats being imported. (Murphy et al., 1999)
Australia has always been free of rabies, lyssavirus 1, but recently lyssavirus genotype 7 was found in fruit bats causing rabies like disease.  There have been two human fatalities in Australia caused by this lyssavirus since it has been found.  (Coetzer & Tustin, 2004)
There are five components to surveillance and control. (Murphy et al. 1999)
control of pet movement and removal of strays
dog and cat immunization to break transmission
laboratory diagnosis of suspected clinical cases to obtain accurate surveillance data
surveillance to measure the effectiveness of control measures
public education to increase public awareness and cooperation