The Chaloners, owners of the Exponent announced on the front page of the February 28 edition that this would be its last after 117 years in business.

It marks the end of an era in this small Parkland community, when the first paper rolled off the presses March 7, 1901.

The Chaloner family has been involved in the newspaper since 1922 and the business has remained on Main Street since its inception, according to a website devoted to the Exponent’s long history.

“I’m saddened to hear this, said Ken Waddell, president of the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association that represents 49 community newspapers in the province.

“They’re going to miss it.”

The paper’s first editor, J.P. Gilbert wrote in the first paper that “The Exponent shall, beginning with its first number, endeavour to use its modest means and influence for the growth and development of town and district.” And so it did.

The Exponent became a continuous record of progress as the town and surrounding area grew, carrying reports on local business development — Grandview once had a creamery and a flour mill — the arrival of sewer and water and a plan to use a windmill and gasoline engine to operate the system. It followed the development of the timber industry in the nearby Duck Mountains.

In 1901, its first year publishing, it reported how a Grandview-based tinsmith was making 50 sap pails noting, “Grandview is well supplied this spring with choice maple syrup from the sap taken from trees in this district.”

Editorials took umbrage with issues that affected citizens, such as a slow rural postal system. One noted that “mail is posted here on Friday for these points and takes five to seven days to reach destinations within a 15-mile radius.”

The paper weathered its share of difficult years, including the 1930s when annual subscriptions sold for $1 and subscribers often exchanged chickens, eggs or produce to make a purchase.

Charles E. Chaloner took over the editor’s chair when the Second World War was about to break out, while publisher Thomas L. Chaloner enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1941. Many reports in the ’40s were devoted to the war years.

When “those fabulous ’60s arrived,” notes the historical website, “flower children abounded, and at the Exponent office many young people had a chance to experience work at the newspaper.”

Not a trend

Losing the Exponent is a big blow to Grandview and it’s a loss to the MCNA too, said Waddell who owns the Neepawa Press, Neepawa Banner, Rivers Banner and mywestman.ca.

Waddell said he doesn’t believe this is the start of a trend, nor that other small-town papers are in imminent danger of folding, however.

Community newspapers have certainly gone through “a drought” for advertising but it has picked up again in recent times, he said. Many of these businesses are also very lean operations as a result.

“There’s quite a few papers in small towns that only have one person,” he said.

Several papers in southwestern Manitoba publish fewer than 1,200 copies.

The strength of community newspapers is that they are a local publication serving a loyal local readership, Waddell said. Small-town papers carry news stories important to the communities they serve and they get them before other media do.

“We are a media that’s picked up locally and we are a media that’s trusted for the most part,” he said.

In an era of all the fake news found online, the small-town paper of record perseveres because it can’t possibly get away with making up a story.

“Publish so-called fake news in a community newspaper and you’re going to hear about it on the phone that night,” he said.

Foundational

Often one of the first businesses founded in the boom towns of the pioneer era was the local paper.

The Manitoba Historical Society’s website lists community newspapers as designated Centennial Businesses, noting that these enterprises are among some of the oldest continuously operating businesses in small-town Manitoba.

The Exponent is among 13 in the MHS’s listing, including publications such as the Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times, the Killarney Guide and the Sentinel Courier in Pilot Mound.

The Minnedosa Tribune has been published since March 31, 1883. Various histories proclaim it as the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper in Manitoba.

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For three-times-daily market reports from Don Bousquet and RNI, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.manitobacooperator.ca

Gr a i n and oilseed prices at ICE Futures Canada in Winnipeg closed the week ended Oct. 30 mixed with canola higher and barley lower. Canola prices climbed back after their collapse on the news that China would only take blackleg-free canola. The weak Canadian dollar, slow farmer selling and the delayed harvest, as 30 per cent of the Saskatchewan canola crop is still unharvested, helped to boost the market. Friendly technical signals also supported prices as the January contract broke through resistance at $400 per tonne. Barley posted small losses on the sluggish demand and steep declines in the Chicago corn market. Giving some support were steady feedlot demand

and slow farmer selling. As a result, barley’s losses were much smaller than those of U. S. corn.

Chicago futures posted moderate to steep declines. The firm U. S. dollar and weakness in outside markets, including stocks and crude oil, pressured the markets down. Forecasts for improved weather for harvesting this week also weighed on prices. Sluggish exports contributed to the losses in corn and soybeans. However, underpinning both corn and soybeans was uncertainty about the damage done to the crops due to a combination of heavy rain, high winds and cold conditions.

U. S. wheat futures saw fairly big declines on the strength of the U. S. dollar, sluggish export demand and the weakness in corn and soybeans. Improved weather for finishing off planting the Soft Red Winter wheat crop also weighed on prices. Bearish technical signals contributed to the slide in values.

ON THE REBOUND

The rebound in canola prices from their drop, due to China demanding that all canola imports from Canada be free of blackleg, has been quite impressive. As we go to press there has been no concrete news that the problem has been resolved. However, export sources have indicated to us that following Oct. 30 talks between China and Canada, exporters are optimistic that something will be worked out.

The rally in the market comes as the news media paint a pretty bleak picture for the canola outlook. Recent stories focused on the China import problems and the salmonella-in-canola-meal problem that has halted exports of canola meal to the U. S. and cut the domestic crush.

Despite all this, the January canola futures contract has climbed back over $400 and is within $6 per tonne of its pre-export problem highs. In addition, after the initial knee-jerk reaction in the cash market, with basis levels widening out, they have now returned to close to previous levels.

Almost 600,000 tonnes of canola are scheduled to be moved between Oct. 30 and Nov. 11. It does suggest that the news reports of cancelled export sales have been erroneous.

The incredible decline we have seen in the Canadian dol lar this week does not explain the entire bounceback in canola prices. The harvest delays only partially offset the negative news in the export market. The feeling is that harvest delays have

caught about two million tonnes of canola in the field. However, most of that canola will come in.

If I were a farmer with canola to sell, I would be very cautious about being stampeded into unloading canola now. Disciplined selling will likely reward you with extra revenue.

BE AWARE OF BEARS

As we enter the season for farm meetings, be aware that the bias amongst analysts is to be bearish, with the majority of analysts I have been reading suggesting to sell.

However, the negative news is not as intense as you might think. The ability of the markets to soar in the past month suggests there is an underlying bullishness in them and they have the ability to turn around quickly. The wheat outlook, which is one of the most bearish, is a good example.

The Internat ional Wheat Council brought out its latest supply-demand report this past week. It looks incredibly bearish for wheat, with rising production and rising ending stocks.

For the 2009-10 crop year, the IWC has pegged wheat production at 667 million tonnes, up from the September forecast of 666 million tonnes, but well below last year’s 687 million. Global consumption of wheat is expected to be 643 million tonnes, up from last year’s 640 million tonnes. This would leave ending stocks for 2009-10 at 188 million tonnes, up from last year’s 165 million tonnes.

Even more bearish is the fact that the five major exporting nations are holding stocks of 49 million tonnes, the highest level since 2005-06. This would suggest that the wheat outlook is dismal.

However, I would disagree to an extent because this is all past information already known by the trade. The $2-to $3-per-bushel price drop we have seen in the past year reflects this. It does not speak about what is coming.

We do know that U. S. Hard Red Winter wheat acres are down three to five per cent, while Soft Red Winter wheat acres are down 20 per cent. We know that dry conditions have been a problem for Europe, Asia and the Black Sea region. You also know how farmers react to falling prices by cutting acres.

With current U. S. wheat prices at levels that are still well above the 30-year average and acres going down, the likelihood for higher wheat prices in 2010-11 is quite high. In fact, the rally we saw this past month to almost $6/bu. in both Minneapolis and Kansas City wheat futures shows how fast the markets turn. Right now 2010-11 wheat futures are at a premium to 2009-10, which means the trade thinks the situation is changing.

CORN AND SOY QUESTIONS

The uncertainty in the U. S. corn market should also suggest that you should be very cautious in your marketing plans. There is not one year in U. S. Department of Agriculture historical data that shows what happens to the corn crop when the harvest is this late.

We do know that the corn crop is suffering quality loss from the weather and even if the combines start rolling this week, that will not improve quality. Grain elevators from the U. S. Midwest to the Delta are blending poor-quality corn up with higher-quality supplies. Users of corn, from exporters to feedlots to ethanol producers, are paying farmers premiums for high-quality corn.

A poor-quality, smaller-than-expected corn crop will stimulate demand for wheat, forcing up prices while causing soybeans values to rise because of competition for acres between corn and soybeans. As well, higher corn prices result in higher soymeal prices.

One last fact to be aware of when making any marketing plan is that we don’t know how large the U. S. soybean crop is. A University of Wisconsin study shows a four-week delay in the soybean harvest can reduce the soybean yield by 11.5 per cent.

A little skepticism is called for every time you hear an analyst tell you to sell… particularly this year.

– Don Bousquet is a well-known market analyst and president of Resource News

International (RNI), a Winnipeg company specializing in

grain and commodity market reporting.

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The first meeting of the subcommittee turned into a two-hour quarrel when NDP MP Malcolm Allen proposed an extension of the committee’s investigation to the end of the year rather than reporting before the start of the summer recess in June.

Since that fiasco, Pierre Lemieux, the parliamentary secretary for agriculture, worked out a compromise with the opposition parties to increase the number of meetings during the spring, including a report in June.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz as well as officials from Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Public Health Agency will be among the witnesses along with officials from Maple Leaf Foods. It was the company’s deli meat products that contained the listeria that killed 20 and sickened scores more.

The opposition also wants to hear from Sheila Weatherill who was appointed by Prime Minister Harper to conduct a secretive investigation of the listeria outbreak. It could be an interesting session, as Weatherill was told by Harper not to hold public meetings or talk to the news media. However the Conservative MPs on the subcommittee supported calling her.

The four parties have assembled a list of 43 companies and individuals they wish to question. Some of them may have to be in camera, chairman Larry Miller said.

Liberal Farm Critic Wayne Easter said the committee should also plan to visit the Maple Leaf plant in Toronto that manufactured the contaminated product as well as a smaller processing operation, maybe a farm that has a food safety plan in operation and a port where imported products are supposed to be inspected by the CFIA.

Conservative MP Bev Shipley said Ritz’s staff is preparing material for the subcommittee on the minister’s involvement in the federal response to the listeria outbreak. Ritz gained a certain notoriety for his attempt to defuse a tense meeting of government officials by describing the affair as political death by a thousand cold cuts. The comment was leaked by one of the civil servants listening in on a conference call.

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Drainage maintenance still allowed

In response to the article “Licence exemption for minor drainage works removed,” which appeared in the Oct. 30 edition of the Manitoba Co-operator, Keystone Agricultural Producers would like to assure its members that we are working in co-operation with officials from Manitoba Water Stewardship to bring forward the concerns of producers.

KAP has received calls regarding licensing of water control works (drainage). There is a concern that farmers will not be able to maintain existing drains unless they are licensed. Previously, shallow scraper work, V-ditching and the filling of low areas up to 12 inches deep were exempt for existing drains. The exemption was lifted as a result of the Manitoba Ombudsman report recommending that Water Stewardship require licensing of all drains. Some farmers received notices stating that failure to comply may result in enforcement action including closure/ restoration of drains and/or fines.

On Oct. 2, KAP met with the deputy minister of Water Stewardship, Don Norquay, and we were informed the department will not require licences for minor works immediately, and that they are committed to work with KAP to find a proper phase-in period. Currently, there is no deadline on enforcement action by the department. Water Stewardship has assured us that it is “fully committed to working with KAP to develop and implement a practical, expedient, and fair minor water control works licensing process that will better ensure landowners are protected from the adverse effects of illegal drainage.”

We will continue to work on behalf of producers to bring our message to Water Stewardship. Ian Wishart, President Keystone Agricultural Producers

Minor drainage still allowed

The provincial Department of Water Stewardship wishes to correct any misunderstandings or concerns that arose as a result of a recent mailing about minor drainage works.

The department has a long-standing practice of allowing the construction and maintenance of certain minor water control works, such as shallow scraper work, V-ditching, excavation of up to 12 inches of topsoil and the filling of low areas of up to 12 inches deep, without requiring a licence under The Water Rights Act.

The Manitoba Ombudsman’s Office, in its April 2008 Report on the Licensing and Enforcement Practices of Manitoba Water Stewardship, questioned the legal authority for this practice. The ombudsman also found that, while well intentioned, this practice undermined the department’s ability to properly enforce the water control licensing system.

Based on the ombudsman’s report, the department determined that it was obligated to establish a licensing process for minor water control works. However, the department mistakenly sent a notice to a number of rural municipalities that indicated licences for such minor works would be required immediately.

Some municipalities, in an effort to keep the public informed, then went on to widely distribute this notice. In fact, a workable minor works licensing process has not been finalized, and as such Water Stewardship regrets and apologizes for any concern or confusion this miscommunication has created.

Manitoba producers can be assured that Water Stewardship is fully committed to working with KAP to develop and implement a practical, expedient, and fair minor water control works licensing process that will better ensure landowners are protected from the adverse effects of illegal drainage.

While this process is being developed I would like to emphasize that routine minor work for which drainage licences have not been required in the past will continue to be allowed.

Don Norquay Deputy Minister

Water Stewardship

CWB puts farm further ahead

Over the past two years, I have witnessed with great dismay the unlawful lobby by the present federal government and its unseemly tactics to destroy the Canadian Wheat Board. The government’s tactics include:

Firing Adrian Measner without cause;

Imposing a gag order on the CWB before the last bizarre and biased referendum on barley marketing; and

Replacing competent CWB directors with appointed directors whose only objective appears to be the dismantling of our farmer-controlled agency that markets Canadian grain and upholds our high-quality grain standards.

The CWB is a pooled marketing agency for farmers. It was created as a result of farmers’ efforts. Its role is to support farmers in a global environment that is overwhelmingly controlled by corporate interest. I am often amazed at the number of farmers who mistakenly view their own marketing agency as the enemy, and the shareholder-driven companies (ADM, Cargill, etc…) as their allies.

If the CWB is dismantled, our only marketing “choice” will be to sell to one of several companies whose allegiance is to their own bottom line, not to farmers. They are concerned with making a large profit margin for their shareholders, not with providing a fair price at the farm gate for farmers and their families.

When I do the math, our farm is further ahead financially because of the CWB. I have a strong desire to protect our marketing agency.

Lori Erhardt National Farmers Union Big Dog Seeds Inc.

Oxbow, Sask.

Allow Siemens his say

“Freedom” is a word that is used a lot regarding Canadian Wheat Board discussions. Usually, it is in the context of marketing choice for farmers. But it now appears there is an even more fundamental freedom at stake: freedom of the press.

Harry Siemens, well-known Manitoba farm journalist, is being shut out of CWB news conferences. At first, the CWB said Siemens wasn’t accredited. When he produced his press credentials, they switched their excuses and bluntly told Siemens that the CWB reserved the right to pick and choose which reporters it would allow at its news conferences.

The CWB has decided to censor the news that farmers receive regarding the CWB.

What this incident highlights is the degree to which the wheat board and its board of directors have lost their way. The CWB is supposed to represent the views and interests of all grain producers. That means it has a responsibility to deliver fair, clear and unbiased information to farmers. That information is delivered by our respected and reliable farm media. The CWB does not have the right to hand pick who delivers the news presumably so CWB staff can have a hand in its delivery.

The CWB has become a self-interested entity, not interested in what is best for farmers. And farmers, by the way, are the ones who pay the salaries of the people working at the CWB.

To try to shut out media is unfair for farmers and, ultimately, it is counter-productive for the board itself. Times are changing in Canadian agriculture and the CWB will have to adapt or become irrelevant. The wheat board owes it to itself, as well as to farmers, to respect the voices of all media, not just the voices it likes.

This is a democracy; we don’t censor our news media.

Kevin Archibald, Market Choice Alliance

Killarney, Manitoba

Please forward letters to Manitoba Co-operator, 1666 Dublin Ave., Winnipeg, R3H 0H1 or Fax: 204-954-1422 or e-mail: news@fbcpublishing.com(subject: To the editor)

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“To grow your business, you have to think bigger.”

– CLINT MASSE

Start with a product you believe in. Gear it to your customers. Advertise like crazy. That was some of the valuable advice learned at every stop on the agri-tourism best-practices tour in the capital region of Manitoba.

There are some very essential ingredients for starting, and growing a rural business. Having a good product and believing in it are key.

Advertising is also critical but it can be challenging figuring out how to pay for it.

Danny Kleinsasser wanted to create a business that would be centred around that talent for barbecues and marinades. He admits to balking when a designer came up with a logo for his business at a hefty fee of $2,000.

But she convinced him that the logo would make his signs stand out. “I made a lot of money off that logo,” the owner of Danny’s Whole Hog Inc. says.

He learned a great deal from listening to his customers. Early in his business, he was asked to do other meats. He knew that growing his business would depend on versatility so now he offers a wide selection of meat to be barbecued.

The business began with him offering to rent barbecues, specially designed by him and supplying the meat. Pretty soon, he got requests from people to look after all the catering and just bring the meat cooked.

Partnering

Partnering with local businesses, he was able to handle the requests without adding to his workload. He generated popularity with the local community by accessing buns, salads, cabbage rolls and more from nearby business, parlaying it into a very lucrative business for all. He is busy from May to October and beyond. The effervescent Kleinsasser is a superb promoter.

A Maze in Corn established itself by being the first in the area to offer a corn maze. Clint and Angie Masse hustled to ensure the maze would be ready and sure enough, the publicity generated because all media outlets were curious, helped their first year on a minimal advertising budget. Brochures hand delivered by Angie to nearby communities and neighbourhoods helped boost the promos. Their operation in St. Adolphe has also continued to develop as they learned more.

“To grow your business, you have to think bigger,” said Clint.

The couple offers a concession stand, but business really boomed when they added an enchanted forest, a petting zoo and a hay pile for children to play on.

“Before, we were an activity people could fit in between lunch and supper easily,” said Angie. With the extra activities keeping customers on the property longer, the snack shack business boomed. Providing picnic areas and chairs for adults ensures they will be comfortable while their children burn off steam.

A running theme through the day was keeping the business clean. “It’s a lot of work to keep this place from looking like a farm,” said Angie.

Clean

She said while city people enjoy the animals and the “idea” of being on a farm, they don’t really want to endure “stinky” smells. They also don’t want to see a farmyard where old equipment and trash is stored openly.

The Masses advised tour members who own businesses to decide who they will target, and pick a venue to reach that group. They promote their business as a “good time with friends and family.”

Angie said that many mazes in the U. S. welcome late-night revellers with open arms and gear their mazes and haunted forests to the crowd. But they decided that wasn’t for them.

Promoting school tours has been a large boon for their business as the children often return with family members.

Clint said they stay open from “August to October 32nd.”

Clint advised to “do it better than expected.” For example, they weren’t required to put in wheelchair-accessible washrooms, but they did anyway. As a result, a lot of wheelchair-bound people come to the maze.

The Masses hire plenty of young staff for their season. By creating checklists, they make all the jobs easy for any of the staff to do. By checking the checklist problems arising from something missed or not done up to standards, can be addressed with extra training. Staff are given bright-orange shirts to be easily identified.

The charismatic Murray Boonstra left the dairy farm business behind after copying his business plan from a brochure he found at a farm tour down east. “If it could work there, I figured it could work here,” he said.

They have U-pick strawberries and raspberries, a corn maze, petting zoo, playground and haunted tours.

Curb appeal

Boonstra keeps his eye out for things that will set his business apart. An old fox tower in the field across from Boonstra’s farm near Stonewall caught his eye. After other attempts to restore it failed, Boonstra stepped in and offered to restore and use the tower, mindful that it was a heritage building. He moved it to his farm for inclusion in his school tours. For Halloween, it doubles as the “Tower of Terror.”

With 90 per cent of his business generated by the Halloween season, he doesn’t balk at money spent on a PR person.

He also recommended partnerships and cross marketing. His corn maze contains the logo of a business, paid for by the business. That business gets to promote heavily at his site. In return, his operation is promoted by the business.

A snack shack run by his daughter and son-in-law increased business when they decided to stop allowing outside burgers and dogs to be brought in.

Crowd control is handled by rotating tours that are timed precisely. Wagons take guests out to the different areas of the farm.

A recent experience with the media had Boonstra reminding tour members that any press is good press.

After sharing an anecdote with a reporter about monitoring fights on the berry-picking fields, he had national news media asking about the fights on his berry fields.”You can’t buy that kind of publicity,” he laughed.

The publicity was somewhat negative, but Boonstra’s Farm gained exposure and his phone rang off the hook. The weekend after the story broke, he saw a crowd like he’d never seen before.

Boonstra said his business now comes up near the top when berry businesses are Googled. And that prompted one more tip.

“Have a website, and make sure your operation has everything you said there is,” he advised.

Marketing

Dennis and Sheri Crockett also rely on the Internet. The soft-spoken owners of Rubber Ducky Resort and Campground have turned old hog barns into a lucrative themed resort. The idea developed from their Rubber Ducky hot tub rental business. The couple was ready to move to Dennis’s family farm, converting one of the barns into a home. With over 3,000 square feet more room than needed, they decided to open and bed and breakfast featuring a hot tub. A second barn became a recreation centre for guests to meet or take part in rainy day activities. A concession inside the centre generates extra income.

The couple grew the business carefully, creating camping sites with hookups. Already out of over 60 sites, 20 are seasonally rented. “We could have this place full,” said Dennis.

Providing activities such as a playground and a tractor-pulled kiddie train has made families flock to the place. There is a hot tub available for campers and a separate one for the B&B guests. A hot tub can be rented to individual sites for private functions.

The site offers an inground pool for summer recreation, and a duck pond stocked with trout for catch-and-release fishing fun.

They advised tour members to do plenty of research and believe in their vision, even if banks and lenders don’t.

bonnieb@fbcpublishing.com

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