Farmers tend to pay more attention to combine setup than seeder setup, says corn planter specialist Bill Lehmkuhl. However, considering the importance of a uniform plant stand to corn yields, they should spend more time ensuring the corn planter is level, the down force is effective and the speed is optimal for seed placement. A […] Read more
Barb Glen
Stories by Barb Glen
Triplets surprise Alta. colony
Strong start | Heifer and two bull calves each weighed 70 pounds
Calving season is going well on the Shadow Ranch Hutterite Colony east of Carmangay, Alta. With 500 cows to calve out this spring, seven sets of twins and one set of triplets have made their appearance. It was the first set of triplets that cattle boss Carl Hofer has seen in his years at the […] Read moreGrowers need to know their corn: agronomist
Projecting yields | Current varieties can produce 300 to 350 bushels per acre with good weather and management
There’s a simple calculation for figuring out grain corn yield. Multiply the number of ears by the number of rows on the cob by the number of kernels in each row, and divide by 90,000. That’s the yield, said DuPont Pioneer senior agronomist Sandy Endicott. The secret to getting high yields is for farmers to […] Read moreWalking tour promotes rivers
Raising awareness | Volunteers sought to walk portions of South Sask. basin this summer
The water in the river that flows past Brenda Davison’s house near Burmis in southwestern Alberta ends up in Hudson’s Bay. Along the way, it has to meet the needs of multiple users. Davison was thinking about demands on the watershed when she came up with the idea of a walk-to-the-headwaters project that would highlight […] Read moreRichardson to double capacity of Lethbridge canola crusher
Richardson Oilseed Ltd. plans to double the capacity of its canola processing plant in Lethbridge, raising its daily handling to at least 2,400 tonnes per day. Richardson senior vice-president Pat Van Osch said today that the company will use what it learned in building its new facility in Yorkton, Sask., to increase efficiency and automation […] Read more
4-H project looking for pennies
Alberta 4-H members, past and present, are encouraged this year to give a penny and their thoughts on past club milestones. The Century of Cents is a project initiated as part of the 100th anniversary of 4-H in Canada. 4-H Alberta is building a plaque featuring a penny from each 4-H year from 1913 to […] Read more
Horse meat scandals slash prices
The price for slaughter horses in Alberta has been cut in half by recent discoveries in Europe that beef has been mixed with horse meat in some European plants and products. Bruce Flewelling, an auctioneer who buys and sells horses for slaughter, said prices are now at 25 to 30 cents per pound, down from […] Read more
Power line contact deadly
Moving equipment too close to power lines can be dangerous. The list below indicates the maximum height that any equipment or load should be to remain safe when travelling in the locations noted:
There are three inadvertent contacts with power lines in Alberta every day, on average, and that’s just the ones that are reported. As power lines proliferate and the province’s economic engine rumbles with moving equipment, construction and other development, the likelihood of contact grows. With it, the chances of death, injury and equipment damage also […] Read moreBurn victim urges reporting of damaged gas lines
Carl Brockman had a nightmare about fire the night before he spoke to the Alberta Common Ground Alliance meeting March 5. He has many nightmares about fire. The district foreman for Atco Gas nearly died in a 2001 accident in Olds, Alta., when he was repairing a gas leak. He was surrounded by fire when […] Read more
Are high-tech farmers giving away too much information?
Data storage | Producers told to study agreements when storing precision agriculture data online
CALGARY — Precision agriculture produces a vast array of data in the form of precise location, field maps, yield figures, soil type and contour, electrical conductivity and irrigation. In theory, at least, the data belongs to the farmers who paid for the technology to collect and calculate it. But is that data protected and do […] Read more
