Minister stays Kapuskasing farm closure.

Amidst layers of political rhetoric exists an innovative research project that could transform the beef industry in the North.

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Presently underway at the 1000-acre Kapuskasing Experimental farm is the Golden Beef Project, an experiment designed to produce a leaner calf by feeding naturally enriched forages to the animals without implants or antibiotics. Carole Lafrenniere, an Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada scientist working on silage microbiology out of L'Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue (UQAT), says the focus is on changing the fats in the muscle tissues into good fats, such as omega-3s and CLAs (conjugated linoleic acids). By processing the animal at 12 months instead of the usual 18 months, it should produce higher-quality, leaner meat, she says.

It is a win-win situation for beef producers and consumers in the North. The meat is healthier and the farming practices could develop a niche market without relying on the United States and/or southern Ontario for finishing the animals, the final stage of the animal's life before it goes to slaughter.

"We could develop in the North the production and the transformation," Lafrenniere says. "The market is there now, and we have to develop the research right now."

But until recently, federal cutbacks had that project, and indeed the entire farm, on the chopping block. It and three other federal farms across the country were slated for closure.

With projected renovation costs as high as $11 million for the Kapuskasing farm, staff at the facility, as well as MP for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, Brent St. Denis felt the figures were grossly exaggerated. In a letter to Minister of Agriculture Andy Mitchell, St. Denis also said the decision to shut down the farm was based on a "hidden agenda," which was to consolidate operations by integrating beef research in Northern Ontario with the University of Guelph and UQAT.

He did not support the amalgamation and wanted to see a complete review performed by an independent party.

Consequently, on June 23, Mitchell declared a moratorium on the closures so a national consultation on the science strategy could take place.

Jacques Surprenant, science director for Livestock Production Systems in Lennoxville, Quebec, says they are going to reevaluate the overall science direction on a national basis at all four farms, which will involve communities, stakeholders, industry representatives, provincial and territorial governments, universities and research institutions.

Mitchell's spokesperson, Elizabeth Whiting, says they want to ensure they are getting the best deliverables and the best results for the community and agricultural industry, without compromising the research.

This was good news for Lafrenniere who had concerns about splitting up the cohesive team of 13 employees with whom she works at the farm. She wants to see the work continue in Kapuskasing because of the workers' experience, synergy of the team, their ability to communicate in French (particularly with the producers), and the geographical location, which emulates true Northern conditions.

Lafrenniere had concerns about the transference time required to upgrade and create appropriate infrastructure at the provincial facility to accommodate the federal farm, and how it may have impacted on the continuity of the Golden Beef experiment.

Pierre Therrien, farm foreman, shares similar concerns and says a lot of the research completed at the farm has been valuable to the agricultural industry.

"The applied principles and practices we've experimented with have been transferred to the producers and they've applied them to their production methods," he says. "We develop on-the-job apparatus to perform the experiments. The scientists have been finding out if you want something done differently, bring it to Kapuskasing and we'll get it done."

He is pleased with the moratorium and sees it as a way to open the communication channels to ensure the money is best spent with the best possible results.

Surprenant says they will review the strategy in the fall with a clearer direction in the winter of 2006.

www.agr.gc.ca

By ADELLE LARMOUR

Northern Ontario Business 

RELATED ARTICLE: The Kap farm: a brief history

The farm began as a World War I prisoner of war camp that later turned into a partnership between the Militia and Agriculture Departments to determine what could be grown in Northern Ontario.

In its early years, a variety of different experiments took place on animals such as goats, pigs, chickens and dairy cows, as well as on a variety of crops, including cereals, grasses and vegetables. Over time, budget constraints, reassignments and changes in direction have left the Kapuskasing farm with a modest staff of 13 working as a beef research station.

However, valuable research and developments have come out of the experimental facility. One of the most significant developments that transpired was The Heap Silo Method--a way to produce and store high quality forages in Northern conditions. It allowed Quebec farmers to sustain their agricultural practices and remain competitive with southern regions that grow corn, according to Carole Lafrenniere, an Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada scientist at L'Universite du Quebec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue.

"Without that, especially on the Quebec side, the agriculture wouldn't be what it is now," she says.

Another experiment at the farm that is also underway is to establish a procedure to eliminate the bacteria produced through fermentation of silage.

Grain silage is cut when the grass is still green and contains 30 to 35 percent dry matter. After a process of fermentation and preservation, it is stored as winter feed for animals.

When the procedure is not performed properly, farm foreman Pierre Therrien says there is bacteria that develop in the silage, which is transmitted and digested by cows. The bacteria get into the milk, and finds its way into cheese products. And although not harmful to human health, a butyric acid develops in the cheese from the bacteria and creates a stench that cannot be eliminated through pasteurization.

"We need to find a way to eliminate the spore inside the silage that forms the butyric acid," Therrien says. "We're looking at several millions of dollars in losses for producers alone."

Once a procedure is established, the information obtained from the experiments at the farm is used nationally for other producers or scientists, upon which to build future analysis.

www.town.kapuskasing.on.ca