Good morning. I'm John Cowan, representing the Grain Farmers of Ontario. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to present the Grain Farmers' position on this very important matter of bee pollinator health in the country.
For a little background, the Grain Farmers of Ontario represent the 28,000 farmers who produce corn, soybeans, and wheat in the province of Ontario. It is three associations that amalgamated three and a half years ago to represent those crops. Our crops cover over 5 million acres and generate about $2.5 billion in farm gate receipts in Ontario. We operate under the guidance of 15 elected directors, and we have 150 elected delegates representing 15 districts across the province.
I have two statements right off the bat. The Grain Farmers of Ontario recognize the importance of bees in our natural environment and their importance as pollinators for multiple agricultural crops. Ontario farmers also recognize the need for seed treatment insecticides to protect corn, seed, and seedlings.
I'll just give you a little history on seed treatments and insecticides in Ontario, and in Canada for that matter. Prior to registration of neonicotinoids, corn seed was treated with lindane, which is an organochloride insecticide. In 2001 Health Canada concluded that the use of lindane as a seed treatment posed an unacceptable risk to workers. Lindane was officially discontinued in 2004. Basically, it was very bad for farmers. The current neonicotinoid seed treatments were registered between 1995 and 2003—so over 10 years ago—and are considered much safer for farmers than what was previously used.
The Grain Farmers of Ontario were first made aware of significant bee deaths this past spring.
Compared to broadcast spray applications of insecticides, seed treatment, applied to the seed, reduces the amount of pesticides used by ten to twentyfold, which is safer for both farmers and the environment. Polymers are used to bind the insecticide to the seed, and treated corn seed is buried four to eight centimetres under the surface of the soil. The insecticide protects the corn seed and seedlings from insect pests that feed on the plant until it begins drawing nutrients through its root system.
Plant stand losses have been measured by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food at three to twenty bushels per acre without an insecticide because of wireworm, seed maggot, and white grub. A 20-bushel-per-acre stand loss at current corn prices is equal to a loss of almost $130 per acre for corn farmers. Many of our members report that a 10% stand loss is average, which would be approximately $95 per acre. To a 500-acre corn producer, that would equate to approximately $50,000 in losses, which of course would go right to the bottom line in terms of profitability.
Seed treatments represent an insurance investment against potential yield and therefore income loss. There are no alternative insecticides available to protect corn from these early season pests.
The Grain Farmers of Ontario support research towards this important topic. We are currently supporting a project in collaboration with OMAF and the Ministry of Rural Affairs in Ontario with the following objectives:
• determine the presence of bees and flowering plants in and around cornfields at the time of corn planning and how pollinator exposure to pesticide-contaminated dust can be reduced;
• determine the role of seed lubricants in the production of pesticide-contaminated dust during corn planting.
The study includes beekeepers and corn producers in Ontario working together and is valued at $340,000, with funding derived from OMAF and the Ministry of Rural Affairs, the Agricultural Adaptation Council, and the Pollinator Partnership from the United States.
Grain Farmers of Ontario are committed to understanding the issues, staying informed of research results, and communicating best management practices with our farmers. We are committed to good stewardship for the products we use and to working towards a solution based on sound science that ensures healthy crops and healthy bees.
In conclusion, many people are looking for the single silver bullet solution. A recent USDA study published last week confirms our thoughts that the death of bee colonies across North America is a very complex issue. It includes varroa mites, colony feeding, and other management and environmental relationships.
We have asked that the Government of Canada invest in research to understand bee health, bee colony foraging, and all the interactions that exist with farmers and the environment that they work in.
Thank you.