An Alberta farmer has developed open source software capable of driving tractors autonomously with the use of their existing GPS. AgOpenGPS is a free program farmers can download onto a tablet, which users then plug into a port located on the back of most GPS systems. The tablet also needs to connect to an arduino, […] Read more
Robin Booker
Stories by Robin Booker
Study says neonicotinoids ban not the answer
Researcher says sample data does not support restrictions or bans on neonicotinoid seed treatment use on field crops
A study into the presence of neonicotinoids in Canadian waterways suggests a ban or restriction of neonicotinoid seed treatments is not necessary. The Environmental Monitoring Working Group (EMWG) was set up to monitor the presence of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam in waterways after Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) 2016 decision to phase out […] Read moreArduino leaps from school to farm
Arduino is an open-source platform used for building electronics projects. It was invented in Italy in 2003 as a single-board microcontroller to help teach students how to create digital devices that could sense and control objects in the physical world. “It was basically built for schoolchildren, to learn how to program, to learn how hardware […] Read more
Study says neonicotinoid ban not the answer
A study into the presence of neonicotinoids in Canadian waterways suggests a ban or restriction of neonicotinoid seed treatments is not necessary. The Environmental Monitoring Working Group (EMWG) was set up to monitor the presence of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam in waterways after Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) 2016 decision to phase out […] Read more
The drones are coming to spray your crops
CORRECTION: This story originally said Don Campbell revived approval from Transport Canada to apply crop protection products with a drone. However, Transport Canada only gave Campbell a special approval to emit fluids from a drone. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency is responsible for the regulation of pest control products in Canada. Roga Drone is […] Read more
Fall rye cover crop reduces erosion, salinity
North Dakota research finds that crop’s fibrous root system helps to build soil aggregates, which improves water infiltration
EDMONTON — Multiple resource issues can be addressed by adding a fall rye cover crop into prairie rotations, says Jay Fuhrer, soil health specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The big ones are salinity, wind erosion, water erosion, and building soil aggregates,” he said after his presentation at FarmTech in Edmonton. “It also helps […] Read moreGloves-off approach demanded on trade issues
Trade supporters call for Ottawa to take action on cases such as an Italian campaign to denigrate Canadian wheat
Edmonton — Canada must respond quickly and sternly to preserve its export markets for agricultural goods in an increasingly protectionist environment. Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture said protectionism has increased over the past five years and the changing United States approach to trade will not help. “I have a feeling with the changing climate […] Read more
Compost tea makes soil more active
Southeastern Saskatchewan farmers use enhanced biology to improve their crops through a healthy approach to dirt
Southeastern Saskatchewan farmers use enhanced biology to improve their crops through a healthy approach to dirt
Derek and Tannis Axten apply compost tea soil inoculant with a liquid kit on their 60-foot drill to fast track soil regeneration at a broad acre scale. The couple work a 6,000-acre family farm with two-thirds of its land base in Minton, Sask., and the rest near Milestone, Sask. They intercrop and use cover crops […] Read more
No major issues in weather forecast
EDMONTON — Inadequate spring precipitation could make it difficult to establish crops in parched southern prairie fields this coming crop season, and late frost events in eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba may cause further problems, according to weather forecaster Drew Lerner. “The spring season is going to be a challenge for a lot of locations that […] Read more
Wheat reclassifications affect quality
Edmonton — Efforts to modernization Canadian wheat classes have already increased the quality of Canadian wheat exports, even though the redesignation hasn’t happened yet, said Lisa Nemeth, director of international markets for Canadian International Grains Institute. “In the last two years when we’ve been going out to meet with customers, we’ve not had the same […] Read more
