Robin Booker

Robin Booker

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Robin Booker is the Editor for The Western Producer. He has an honours degree in sociology from the University of Alberta, a journalism degree from the University of Regina, and a farming background that helps him relate to the issues farmers face.

Stories by Robin Booker

When it comes to the micronutrients of interest for Saskatchewan, copper, zinc, boron, manganese, iron, and chlorine are the ones growers should be concerned about. | File photo
Crop Management

Micronutrient deficiencies can be a mystery

Variabilities in the soil and environment and the changing behaviour of micronutrients can make research challenging

A few grams per acre of some micronutrients are enough for most crops, yet they are just as important to plant health as macronutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. But many growers are unsure how to apply micronutrients to achieve a yield response, said Jeff Schoenau, professor of soil fertility at the University of Saskatchewan. He […] Read more
News

Proper methods vital to field research

On-farm research trials are considered one of the best ways to test new products and ideas, but they must be done right

To keep up with the massive efficiency gains in Canadian crop production over the last few decades, modern growers often experiment with new growing techniques, products and varieties. Adam Gurr of Agritruth Research near Brandon said growers who want to set up trials should take the time to ensure they are using proper experiment techniques. […] Read more
News

Firm finds way to make digital farming pay off

Farmers can help simplify their decision making process by bringing all farm information into one program

Decisive Farming is a business built at the intersection of product traceability and precision farming. “This is really a way for a farmer to get ahead of the curve on having really good digital records on the farm, and being able to share them efficiently across that supply chain so that they’re able to capture […] Read more
Wild oats are a tough problem in wet years, when they can show their true populations and break from the soil in large numbers, also creating resistance opportunities. | Michael Raine photo
Crop Management

Half of producers watch herbicide rotations

That means 51 percent do not, and farmers are urged to pay more attention to their crop protection management

Only half of western Canadian growers vary their herbicide use on a year-to-year or field-to-field basis, according to a recent survey. Bramm Research, on behalf of magazine Top Crop Manager, performed a survey last fall that received 346 responses from the prairie provinces from people who farm just less than 4,000 seeded acres on average. […] Read more
Modern farming systems are capable of creating incredibly detailed profiles of fields, but can they provide detailed images of profits? Economists are of mixed views about this. | File photo
News

Big data creates big opportunities

Many pieces of farm machinery have been capable of collecting and storing agronomy and production data for more than a decade. Extracting usable and attractive tools for producers from all that information has proven challenging. The development of cloud computing and data storage, as well as the internet of things in which objects including farm […] Read more
The iPad view of FieldView.
News

Farmer data brought into one house for better usability

FieldView is a software platform often used on an iPad that allows farmers to bring all of their agronomic information into one spot. It enables growers to visualize their information in new ways and allows them to find insights that are difficult to see when the data is in raw form. “If you’re thinking of […] Read more
Wade Barnes of Farmers Edge Precision Consulting said producers can make variable rate applications of inputs pay big dividends. | Michael Raine photo
News

Farmers Edge takes hands-on approach to big data

Data is automatically collected and processed from sources such as on-farm weather stations and farm equipment

Farmers Edge’s approach is hands-on and wide-ranging. “We go directly on to the farm and we install our canplug, which is our telemetry data capture device, in all four-wheel vehicles on the farm. We install weather stations across the grower’s farm, we take soil samples across the grower’s farm, as those are all critical information […] Read more
News

FBN plans to develop major data network

The company uses data that farmers collect on their equipment, information from public sources and grower invoices

Farmers Business Network is on track to build the most complete agronomic data set that has ever existed, according to Matt Meisner, head of data analytics at FBN. “Basically, it’s the world’s largest network of real-world farm data to help make decisions on variety selection, crop rotation planning, optimizing fertilizer and chemical use,” Meisner said. […] Read more
The later spring means early seeding isn’t part of effective weed control, so farmers will have to adopt other strategies. | File photo
Crop Management

Short season compresses weed battle

The later spring means early seeding isn’t part of effective weed control, so farmers will have to adopt other strategies

It’s finally rubber-boot season on the Prairies, but spring’s tardiness already means the planting season will be tight for some farmers. Weeds also have some catching up to do and they will come on strong when the heat arrives. “What I do expect will happen in many places in Western Canada this year is a […] Read more
Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix demonstrates the physics of spray deposition and thermal inversion at the Ag In Motion farm show last year. Keeping spray particles down on the farm can be a serious issue. | File photo
Crop Management

Inversions are invisible, unless you have the tools to look

A tool designed to identify temperature inversions will help producers better understand when it’s safe to spray their crops. Innoquest Inc.’s SpotOn Inversion Tester is essentially a pole with a temperature sensor on one end and a readout on the other. It allows producers to measure the temperature at two levels: one and three metres […] Read more

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