RED DEER – A livestock chute can sound like a bingo hall as operators call out identification numbers and weights as the animals reach the scale and squeeze. New Zealand’s Gallagher has developed a computerized solution to the problem by automating the recording of weights and animal identification in a silent, single pass. Other integrated […] Read more
Stories by Michael Raine
Residual phosphorus insufficient for plants
CALGARY – High phosphorus prices are prompting producers to take a close look at the fields on which they have continually applied the pricey nutrient. While some producers rely on soil tests to ensure they meet projected crop needs, many apply fertilizer based on targeted crop yields and expected crop removal of nutrients. Either way, […] Read more
New canola combats clubroot
The first clubroot resistant hybrid canola variety is being prepared for release. Pioneer Hi-Bred will be first to the post with a clubroot pathotype 3 race resistant canola. Building on genetics from the company’s worldwide research, the new variety is based on selected lines from resistant European plants. Pioneer officials say they hope the genetics, […] Read more
Rapid research clubs clubroot
Igor Falak looked down at the plants freshly pulled from the St. Albert, Alta., soil. What he saw Aug. 8 made him feel good about being a plant breeder. Earlier that day, the Ontario research scientist had joined assistant professor Steven Stelkov’s team from the University of Alberta to visit the field where clubroot had […] Read more
Weeds controlled through seed coat abuse
Weeds are vulnerable to more than chemicals. They are also susceptible to natural pests and that creates opportunities for farmers to control them using the natural environment. Weed seeds with cracks and cuts in their seed coats are more prone to damage from natural pests. And because the seeds survive for up to 25 years […] Read more
Machine delivers herbicide mix you wish
A summer of testing in fields and warehouses has refined the Refine machine. Federal regulators have approved six products for blending in DuPont’s herbicide vending machines, with more to come by spring. Dupont’s Precision Pac herbicide system promises no more jugs, boxes and leftovers and just the right amount of herbicide for the job, delivered […] Read more
Producers take soil sampling more seriously
High fertilizer prices and better than average crop returns are sending more producers to the field in search of soil samples this year. Agrologist Tom Jensen of the International Plant Nutrition Institute, which represents fertilizer makers, said producers are approaching soil sampling more seriously than in recent years. “There is more at stake this year, […] Read more
U.K. breaks harvest record
World harvesting records are falling faster than barley at the cutter bar of a Class 8 combine. Earlier this year in England, a New Holland 9090 Elevation combine knocked off 451.2 tonnes of wheat in eight hours, peaking at 78 tonnes per hour. Not to be outdone, another British farmer, Keith Challen of Lincolnshire, set […] Read more
Herbicide resistance common in West
Researchers say herbicide resistance is common to the vast majority of grain land on the Prairies. Since the mid-1990s, monitoring by provincial and federal agronomy staff has turned up weeds that are cross-resistant to Group 1 and Group 2 herbicides. From 1996 to 2006, 20 percent of wild oat samples screened were resistant to ACCase […] Read more
What’s big at Big Iron
Western Producer Winnipeg bureau staff writer Ron Lyseng attended the Big Iron Show in Fargo, North Dakota, to investigate what’s new in the field of farm equipment. Big Iron is mainly a show for dryland farm equipment, similar to the Western Canada Farm Progress Show in Regina and Red Deer’s Agri-Trade. Big Iron features the […] Read more
