Pea and lentil hulls are being used as mediated-release carriers for micronutrients without leaving carbon footprints
Lucent Biosciences plans to scale up production of its micronutrient fertilizer called Soileos, which uses cellulose fibre as a carrier for micronutrients like zinc, iron, and manganese. “We’re looking at constructing a new facility probably in the Regina area that should be able to kick out enough for several tens of thousands of acres a […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Autonomous baler handles tedious part of job
Collecting bales that are spread out across large fields is an onerous job, which is why Vermeer has developed an autonomous bale mover. “We saw a need out there starting with biomass, where we needed to pick up a bunch of corn stalk bales and put them to the edge of the field,” said Kent […] Read more
Highly variable, switchable, adjustable machine-encompassing seeding unit
A metering hopper that attaches to a tractor’s front three-point hitch is now being sold by Lemken. The Solitair 23 has a 1,900-litre tank and hydraulic fan that sends product to any tractor implement plumed with product runs. Mark Van Deursen of Lemken said the Solitair 23 can be used to deliver seed or fertilizer […] Read more
Glow in dark plants show stress
The chemical signals plants emit to warn each other of threats and changing conditions are being tweaked by a California startup so that simple optical sensors can pick them up. “We recode the plant’s DNA to generate a fluorescent protein that creates that optical signal,” said Reza Bloomer, head of business development for InnerPlant. He […] Read more
Versatile tractors receive ‘mid-cycle refresh’
Deltatrack and large-frame four-wheel drive tractors come with same engine but have been tweaked to deliver more power
Versatile DeltaTrack and large-frame, four-wheel drive tractors have been updated with more power and comfort for the 2022 model year. “It’s a mid-cycle refresh,’’ said Adam Reid, vice-president of sales and marketing at Versatile. “This is in response to a lot of customer feedback particularly from western Canadian farmers where we have a lot of […] Read more
Keeping ahead of kochia can be a challenge
Managing the tough, adaptable weed takes all the tools that are available in farmers’ integrated pest management toolkit
It is possible to reclaim fields where herbicide-resistant kochia has the upper hand, but it takes long-term planning for crop and herbicide rotations, as well as patch management. Group 2 resistant kochia was first found on the Prairies in the late 1980s and within two decades it spread across the region. “That type of resistance […] Read more
American farmers’ right to repair powered by the president
President Biden issued an executive order on a farmer’s right to repair their equipment. On July 9 President Biden signed the order that asks the Federal Trade Commission to force large manufactures including tech companies and agricultural OEMs let consumers repair their own devices or use the technician of their choice. Biden’s executive order included […] Read more
More sources, easier flow mean better data and that provides accuracy
Grain inventory data platform gives more options to input grain information, which means less data entry, more productivity and better results
There are multiple inventory management and marketing platforms growers can use to manage their grain inventory. These platforms are only as useful as the information producers put into them in the first place, a process now supported by VeriGrain’s new grain-sampling app. “The problem or the weakness in the system right now is that all […] Read more
BASF, Bosch form spray tech partnership
Bosch and BASF received approval by merger control authorities to set up a new joint company called Bosch BASF Smart Farming, or BBSF. The new company will distribute technologies the founding companies have collaborated on for years, including the Smart Spraying solution that offers real-time, automated green-on-brown (pre-emergence) and green-on-green (post-emergence) weed identification and targeting. […] Read more
Small electric, autonomous tractors build big-time
A California startup is building three models of autonomous tractors fit with electric drive trains, with the smallest already in production and deliveries to American farmers expected this year. “The Bearcub-24 model has a 24 kilowatt-hour battery, and it’s the equivalent to let’s say around 30 horsepower,” said Bakur Kvezereli, founder of Ztractor. Each model […] Read more
