Agriculture Canada has funding to update the Disease Risk Tool (DiRT1) it developed in 2016 to include crops beyond canola. DiRT1 combines information from satellites and user inputs into a prototype web application that can be used to investigate the accuracy of crop-disease forecast models. “In this first prototype we also integrated geospatial data from […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Biobeds help manage contaminated water
Micro-organisms in the biobed’s soil break down the chemicals and make water safe to discharge into the environment
Contaminated water from rinsing a pesticide container, called rinsate, is a problem on some farms. “I know stories where guys have been cleaning their sprayers out on a gravel pad for years and they don’t have any problem until there’s a big rainstorm, where you get six inches and then everything that has collected there […] Read more
Security device now uses LoRa technology
Rivercity Innovations expanded its products and services with the help of LoRa technology. LoRa is a proprietary, low-power wide-area network modulation technique that’s used to communicate with internet of things (IOT) devices, especially in remote areas with poor cellular service. Rivercity Innovations first brought a product called BeeSecure to the market in 2018, which was […] Read more
Pulling it around could be bottom line win
For all but fungicide or desiccating tall crops, a pull-type sprayer can have a role on many large, prairie grain operations
A few advanced pull-type sprayers have come onto the Canadian market recently, but do they still fit prairie crop production? The transition to self-propelled sprayers has already occurred on most farms, but these new pull-type sprayers are far more capable compared to what your grandpa used to pull. Application expert Tom Wolf said some of […] Read more
Solar-powered trap hunts what bugs your crop
Insects pose for mugshots and get identified in a digital lineup before the scouting call gets made to the farmer
Metos Canada offers remote monitoring of crop pests with a lineup of IOT-based devices, called iScout. The devices are built by Austrian technology firm Pessl Instruments, which sells a roster of wireless sensors and devices, including remote field monitoring, weather monitoring and forecasting, water and nutrient management, as well as disease and insect monitoring. Guy […] Read more
Chickpea problem a head scratcher
It might be that several issues are being encountered or more than one may compound damage in pulse crop
A plant health issue in Saskatchewan’s chickpea crop has agricultural researchers perplexed. The problem first surfaced in 2019 with Gravelbourg, Assiniboia and Coronach in southwestern Saskatchewan among the worst hit areas. In 2020, a wider area of the province was affected by the mystery ailment, and chickpeas again had a lot of chlorosis, wilting and […] Read more
Hold the nitrogen when planting soybeans
Prairies not a high yield environment for soybeans, so it’s important to maximize the amount of nitrogen
Manitoba soybean growers at a CropConnect conference once asked if a nitrogen application at planting would help the crop in the province’s short-season climate. University of Manitoba crop researchers, Navneet Brar and Yvonne Lawley, designed a study to examine if starter nitrogen can increase soybean growth, yield, grain protein and oil. “Sometimes you do projects […] Read more
Black beans become more viable option
A newer, early maturing variety makes the crop more attractive than it once was, but there are still agronomic unknowns
Black bean is not a common crop on the Prairies, but it’s getting increasing interest from farms under heavy aphanomyces pressure in their peas and lentils. Black beans were not a viable option for most prairie growers until CDC Blackstrap became available, which has early maturity, can be seeded with an air seeder for narrow-row […] Read more
What’s in store for farming?
Four leaders of major OEM companies that sell farm equipment in North America came together for a panel discussion on what agriculture will look like in 20 years, during a virtual version of the Commodity Classic. Their predictions are nothing new, however, the scale of change they predict might be eyebrow-raising. Bill Hurley of Agco […] Read more
New hemps with CBD strengths reaching farmers on the Prairies
This spring Canadian growers will have access to feminized hemp varieties with high cannabidiol, CBD, levels. CBD is an active ingredient of cannabis plants and there is an emerging market for the compound that Canadian growers have struggled to tap into. The cultivar, called CBF1, is the first feminized hemp hybrid to be approved by […] Read more
