Bill Strautman

LETHBRIDGE – A farmer panel at a recent conference proved the point that cover crops serve a variety of roles on western Canadian farms. Corey Nelson, who farms near Grassy Lake, Alta., told the Dryland and Irrigation Reduced Tillage Conference in Lethbridge on Dec. 7 that following his potato harvest, he has used a variety […] Read more

EDMONTON – In the greenhouse industry, where plants are typically grown in soil-free conditions, nutrient management programs are high science. The same plant can have a range of feeding programs, depending on the stage of growth and the short-term objectives of the grower. “(With bedding plants), the early stage, we want the plant to establish, […] Read more

WAPELLA, Sask. – In the late 1990s, Dwayne Wolf from Wapella, Sask., was using a Flexi-Coil air seeder with a tow-behind tank for seed and dry fertilizer. He wanted to add more seeding capacity by using the air tank just for seed and switching to a liquid fertilizer program, so he built his own tow-between […] Read more

EDMONTON – While all farmers are feeling the pinch from increased energy costs, greenhouse operators may suffer the most. That’s why energy prices were a hot topic at the Alberta Horticulture Congress held in Edmonton last week. The Alberta greenhouse industry boasts nearly 400 operations that cover 285 acres, generate $135 million of annual gross […] Read more

Rouleau, Sask. – The drill manager system that Kevin Anderson uses on his drill, made by Agtron Enterprises of Saskatoon, consists of two units in the cab: a display and a switch control box with a series of wiring harnesses. “We have an electric motor driver module; inside that is some basic motor control stuff,” […] Read more

BOHARM, Sask. – With thousands of abandoned water wells in existence across Western Canada, the risk for contaminating ground water is substantial. At a recent well decommissioning demonstration, the Moose Jaw Creek Watershed Association used two old wells to show landowners what’s involved in capping old water wells. “The most critical part is to seal […] Read more

FOSSTON, Sask. – Most of the self-propelled swathers built in the mid-1980s can do just as good a job of swathing as a brand new unit. But at least 80 percent of them risk becoming obsolete because they have a built-in problem, according to Herbert Hallman. They are gas powered. “Most everyone who owns one […] Read more

REGINA – Brandt’s grain vac engineers were faced with a problem. Customers were satisfied with their grain vac’s capacity using shorter lengths of hose, but found that capacity dropped as more hose was added using the full-bin nozzles of the day. Arnie Josephson, Canadian and international sales and marketing manager with Brandt Agricultural Products in […] Read more

With more than 30 years of experience handling, storing and repairing containers on the Montreal waterfront, Dory Tuvim knows a thing or two about containers. That is why a multinational company working in Western Canada called him when it needed help figuring out how to use containers on the farm. Tuvim said the company had […] Read more

OUTLOOK, Sask. – When feeding sunflowers to cattle was discussed at a recent crop tour in Outlook, the crowd was fortunate to have Dave Christensen on hand. The professor emeritus from the University of Saskatchewan’s animal and poultry science department said various studies have been conducted dealing with how ruminants digest sunflowers. “We’ve done several […] Read more