When it comes to big, flexible tables, Winnipeg’s MacDon headers are one of the Prairies-made industry leaders
CNH and MacDon now have an agreement that allows MacDon to distribute its new lineup of FD2 flex draper headers through CNH dealers around the world, excluding South America. The agreement comes into effect early this year, with deliveries expected to begin in 2023 as more FD2 headers become available. During the transition phase in […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Deere offers autonomous tractor
Later this year farmers will be able to buy a John Deere 8R tractor that can perform tillage operations autonomously. January 4, at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 in Las Vegas, John Deere revealed the new system capable of fully autonomous operations, and it doesn’t require an operator sitting on the edge of the field […] Read more
The many shades of green-on-green
Manufacturers are rolling out precision spraying systems to deliver reduced input costs and environmental impact
The ability to detect and manage individual plants in broad-acre production took big steps forward this year as multiple companies revealed green-on-green systems. This production technique promises to be a significant defence to help farmers protect their business from future and current threats, including herbicide-resistant weeds – and scorn from consumer and environmental groups. Green-on-green […] Read more
Prairie precipitation predictions: right amounts at the wrong times
Water management will become more important for Prairie farmers as the climate warms. Speaking at the recent online Saskatchewan Agriculture Agronomy Update, Dave Sauchyn, research coordinator at the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, gave a synopsis of climate models and observations to help producers understand what their farms will face. He recently compiled average world temperatures […] Read more
Resistance to resistance – future control today
Herbicide-resistant weeds cost Canadian farmers more than half a billion dollars annually and the price tag is growing. The next generations of producers might not be any better able to control the problem than we are today. There are wild oat populations displaying resistance to Groups 1, 2, 8, 14, and 15 herbicides, kochia populations […] Read more
Effective farm data management becoming essential to success
New platform links farmers with a network of experts for support with agronomy, markets and mental health
One of the best ways farmers can prepare their business for whatever the future might bring is to ensure the information they base their decisions upon is reliable and timely. The variables growers must monitor to maximize their farm’s profitability are vast and complicated, and there are new sources of agricultural information popping up like […] Read more
Greeneye sees all, knows all
The holy grail of autonomous nozzle control for picking weeds out of crop lineup has been green on green
Israel-based Greeneye Technology commercialized an artificial intelligence-based precision spraying system it claims can detect and spray weeds with 95.7 percent accuracy in corn and soy stands. Its early adopter program in Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois is sold out but in 2023 the technology will be offered in more regions, including Canada. The system will also […] Read more
Last season’s drought could cause unpredictable soil N
Western Canadian crop rotations are being thrown off by residual fertilizer left from crops that never were
A good portion of the plant nutrients applied last spring still sits in prairie soils. Some agronomists have even found granular pellets of fertilizer still intact when taking soil tests this fall. In most areas, there was enough moisture to dissolve fertilizer applied in the spring. However, drought conditions prevented crops from using these inputs […] Read more
Magnetic effects on spray might offer improved control
A product that uses rare earth magnets to treat sprayer fluid recently won the Thrive, Bayer Sustainable Startup Award. MagGrow Technology builds an attachment that can be plumbed into sprayer discharge lines, which the company says reduces the amount of spray that drifts off target. The Thrive, Bayer Sustainability Challenge aims to identify and support […] Read more
Putting it all in one place and making it handy
The FendtOne operator interface has been expanded to more tractors in the Fendt lineup. The system was released on the 700 Gen 6 last year, then during The Farm Progress show in Decatur, Illinois, this summer the company announced it will now also be a standard feature on the Fendt 300, Fendt 500, Fendt 900 […] Read more
