The four-wheel-drive sprayer has a Tuff Boy Manufacturing chassis, a Cummins engine and Allison transmission
Two things have driven machinery evolution in the agricultural equipment industry in the last few decades: capacity growth and increased sophistication. That has made farmers much more productive — and machines much more complex. However, Steven Raska, who operates Ag Trucks and Equipment near Great Falls, Montana, says “complexity is not necessarily sophistication.” His small […] Read moreStories by Glacier FarmMedia
Research takes closer look at methane emissions
Study uses unique technology to measure the link between feed efficiency and enteric methane emissions in beef cattle
Feeding canola oil to beef cows could be one way to reduce their enteric methane emissions and increase feed efficiency. University of Guelph researchers adopted unique technology to investigate the link between feed efficiency and enteric methane emissions. Feed-efficient cattle reduce farmer costs, and lower enteric methane can help with greenhouse gas emission issues, creating […] Read more
Will diesel give up its dominance?
The future will likely see a variety of energy sources for agricultural implements as the number of options increase
In a recent online discussion hosted by DLG (the German Agricultural Society), Professor Till Meinel, of the Cologne Institute of Construction Machinery and Agricultural Engineering in Germany, offered his thoughts on the future of power sources for farm equipment as the world looks beyond fossil fuels. “I’m convinced,” he said, “we will have a good […] Read more
From tires to tracks: traction continues to evolve
Taking a look at how the rubber belted Challenger was inspired by a collaboration between implement engineers
Another instalment in the article series that tracks the development of ag equipment during the 100 years of The Western Producer. Take a look at images of early tractors and the obvious design differences were wide and varied as inventors searched for that perfect configuration, one that could efficiently turn engine power into usable traction. […] Read more
Making the grade
Early in the testing of rubber belts, engineers had to determine if rubber belts could stand up to higher-speed travel. At that time, they were being tested on a road grader. To evaluate their high-speed performance, a grader was modified to travel much faster than normal. The 5:1 reduction in the final drive was removed, […] Read more
System delivers dairy data every 2.2 seconds
Connecting data to the cloud rather than to on-site computers helps producers increase the speed of data interpretation
DeLaval has launched its Plus Behavior Analysis tool, designed to monitor cow behaviour and herd health. The company’s North American business development manager, Sjenk Van Soelen, said the most significant enhancement is the near real-time nature of DeLaval Plus monitoring abilities. Newly developed ear tags send updates to the barn computer and onto the DeLaval […] Read more
Colombia opens door to small ruminant exports
Frozen semen can now be exported to the South American country from flocks not participating in the scrapie program
Canadian sheep and goat farmers now have more access to export markets with a recent approval to ship frozen semen to Colombia without the need for scrapie risk certification. That’s in addition to the agreement two years ago that allowed embryos and live small ruminants access to Colombia. Live animals and embryos have to come […] Read more
Sheep body condition scores must be accurate
Body condition scoring livestock is a human, hands-on process and that means it’s subjective. Steps can be taken to make sure evaluations are repeatable across many animals, says Delma Kennedy, sheep specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Body condition scoring helps to evaluate the effectiveness of feeding regimens and enables […] Read more
Farmers urged to make tough genomic choices
Emotions often play a role when deciding which heifers to keep, but producers agree that genetics cannot be overlooked
At Rose Vega Farm near Cambridge, Ont., Luke and Kelly Donkers agree that emotion sometimes creeps into dairy breeding decisions. “There are probably more grey-haired cows on our farm than just about anybody else,” Kelly joked as the Donkers took part in a genomics exercise held at EastGen’s display at the Dairy Innovation Centre at […] Read more
Rebuilding in the rubble
UKRAINE: Hryhoriy Tkachenko revives his farm after the occupation
One and a half years have passed since the invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. The farm of Hryhoriy Tkachenko came under attack in the first days of the war. During the three weeks of occupation, the farm was so badly damaged that he still cannot restore everything. It was the near-total destruction of 20 […] Read more
