Corn tar spot fungus is proving to be a growing threat to corn producers in Canada and the United States. The fungus was first detected in Mexico in 1904, spread throughout Central and South America then made its way into Illinois and Indiana in 2015. It spread across the U.S. corn-growing region and arrived in […] Read more
Stories by Freelance writer
A new chapter in the book of precision ag?
FarmDroid remembers the exact location of every seed it plants to precisely guide its weeding knives later
I started a small custom spraying business in co-operation with Manitoba Pool Elevators in 1997. The standard marking system was the foam marker. I’m not a good operator and have a hard time driving straight up and down the field. In the end we leased an Ag Navigator GPS with no autosteer. But with the […] Read more
Weighing the risks of autonomous agriculture
AI offers great promise for efficient food production but more work needs to be done before it can be left unsupervised
Imagine fields of wheat, corn or soybean extending to the horizon. Smart equipment — tractors and combines — till, plant, fertilize, monitor and harvest the fields. Using cutting-edge artificial intelligence, they do the work and save farmers countless hours of labour. The equipment responds to the weather and calculates the exact needs of each crop. […] Read more
Teff hay seen as new forage option
Originally grown as a cereal crop, it has received good marks in research trials and impressed livestock producers
The shock and excitement is still noticeable when Micheline Maes of Blackwell Hay Farms just northwest of Cochrane, Alta., talks about the first time she saw the analysis for the farm’s teff hay. “I was like, this is the Holy Grail,” she said. “You’re always looking for that combination of low sugar and high protein.” […] Read more
Research shows young dairy calves like to have company
A recent study challenges the practice of housing calves individually to limit the spread of disease and improve health
Housing pre-weaned calves individually has been a tradition among many dairy farmers in Canada, the United States and Europe but the practice has come under scrutiny recently. A recent study by researchers at the University of British Columbia looked at how motivated very young calves are to seek social contact. “In North America, individual housing […] Read more
Pandemic experiment brings home the bacon
On the Farm: They decided to see if they could turn a pig into bacon and ended up with a larger diversification project
LOUGHEED, Alta. — Diversifying the farm doesn’t always mean switching crops or buying more land. Sometimes it is as simple as making your own bacon. When Dan and Shelly Skoberg tackled making bacon from their farm-raised pig, neither thought it would turn into a farm business. Making their own bacon was one of those mid-pandemic […] Read more
Cover crops can produce extra forage
Deciding which cover crops to use will depend on the goal, but producers must make sure not to use too many species
Summer annuals and cover crops can provide grazing for cattle and improve soil health, says Graeme Finn of Southern Cross Livestock near Crossfield, Alta. “There are many options to try, but a person has to narrow it down. Do you want a summer grazing program or a winter program? Do you want to take a […] Read more
Rethinking the spring clean
I don’t know why they call it spring cleaning. It makes more sense to do this type of work in winter when you can’t get outside. While you’re wishing spring would hurry up and get here, maybe this would be a good time to do some spring cleaning. If you’re like me, you’ll like your […] Read more
Cover crop use expands on Prairies: researcher
Cover crops can help reduce erosion, hold soil moisture and improve soil health. Now a growing number of producers are using cover crops to also provide more forage for livestock. University of Manitoba researchers are conducting surveys to see how and why producers are using cover crops. Emma McGeough, associate professor in the U of […] Read more
Clean calving area fights septicemia
Many calves that develop the disease didn’t get enough colostrum, but dirty environments can overwhelm their immunity
Calves can develop infection when bacteria or toxins enter the bloodstream, and some of those toxic bacteria gain entrance through the navel stump or the gastro-intestinal tract. Any blood-borne infection can become life-threatening if the bacteria or toxins damage vital organs. The infection may localize, create internal abscesses or settle in the joints, causing joint […] Read more
