Bill Strautman

LEMBERG, Sask. – Farmers who use a Pattison liquid cart to haul fertilizer behind their seeding equipment may not be aware that it can be converted to a grain cart for harvest. Rick Pattison, president of Pattison Liquid Systems in Lemberg, said his company built a modular grain hopper a few years ago to fit […] Read more

REGINA – Every farmer has struggled with an unruly hydraulic hose. Either the hose was removed while still pressurized or it sat in the sun all day, heated up the oil in the line and created pressure on the ends. Chuck Campbell has been selling farm equipment and attending farm trade shows for the past […] Read more

MAPLE CREEK, Sask. – Easy access to power and air in a shop is always a challenge. Tripping over extension cords and air hoses leading from a workbench can be dangerous. Having worked in shops all his life, Ken Sawby wanted to set up his own shop with a convenient and safe system that allowed […] Read more

MORTLACH, Sask. – Many farmers build their grain bins on a bit of a rise so water doesn’t accumulate around them. But then when farmers need to push an auger uphill to a bin, they often need two people. Philip Simrose said there had to be a better way to move his auger around. The […] Read more

MORTLACH, Sask. – When the Hicks family looked into upgrading harvest equipment, it found the cost of a new combine hard to swallow. “We’re running a couple of old combines and we thought it would be nice to have something with the newer technology,” said Lloyd Hicks, who farms near Mortlach with brothers, Doug and […] Read more

MORTLACH, Sask. – A combine is one of the most underused pieces of equipment on a farm. Eugene Toth said the MachineryLink combine lease service can eliminate the financial pressure of a large asset. “You can use your capital for other things on the farm,” said Toth, Canadian regional sales manager with MachineryLink in Lacombe, […] Read more

MORTLACH, Sask. – When Philip Simrose bought his Case IH 1688 combine, the dealer’s mechanic had a few suggestions to improve its operation. “They’ve got the experience with the machines,” said Simrose, who farms near Mortlach. “They know where they’re going to break so this is what he suggested I do.” On the original header, […] Read more

Central Butte, Sask. – Combine plugs are common. Some are easier to clear than others, but when a slug of green weeds or tough crop gets past the cylinder and plugs the beater in a John Deere conventional combine, farmers could find themselves with a three to four hour job on their hands. “When your […] Read more

MAPLE CREEK, Sask. – When Ken and Jason Sawby were building their shop at Skyline Farms near Maple Creek, they wanted to be able to handle any job that came their way. They felt floor anchors would come in handy for bending or straightening iron, so they set up three before the shop floor concrete […] Read more

Cool, damp conditions in central Alberta earlier this year caused an upswing in the number of reports of downy mildew, Kan-Fa Chang, a plant pathologist with Alberta Agriculture said in a News release news. Agrologists reported a moderate degree of infection, but Chang expected damp weather would increase disease severity. The disease has the potential […] Read more