By the time Uli Gehrer pencilled out the economic benefit of his Diesel-Flex prototype, he knew the propane kits would go on his combine and next tractor. The farmer from Niverville, Man., installed the kit on his John Deere 8400T five years ago, shortly after Maxquip started installing its prototype kits on highway tractors. Maxquip […] Read more
Ron Lyseng
Stories by Ron Lyseng
The quickest ag engineer
Before returning to the farm to settle down, Toby Graham was chief electronics engineer on the 400 m.p.h. Team Winston, a top fuel dragster that has won three National Hot Rod Association championships. Graham is no stranger to fast and accurate data collections. When designing the electronics package on the Graham Electric Planter Drive, he […] Read more
Producers look to wring out a profit in 2014
There have been significant shufflings and a few surprises since Manitoba Agriculture brought out the first draft of its 2014 cost of production spread sheet in January. The final version, which was just released, is more accurate than the first draft but does not paint a pretty picture for producers, says spread sheet engineer Roy […] Read more
Remote truck, hopper gate openers convenient, versatile
ProTrap kits are available for single, double, triple, quad and B-train hoppers
Safety and convenience are two of the biggest factors prompting grain growers to install remote control gates on trucks and hopper trailers. Wireless remotes let the operator stand back out of the dust, said Shaun Gelsinger, a farmer and owner of Lakeshore Manufacturing in Holdfast, Sask., who sells the Shurco ProTrap opener for tandem trailers, […] Read moreWinter wheat trumps all other crops again
BRANDON — The expansion of corn and soybeans acres across the Prairies has received a lot of media attention in recent years, but the hype but not might be well-founded. “There’s been a lot of interest in those two crops here in western Manitoba and into Saskatchewan, but you have to look at the profitability […] Read more
Stop boom bouncing, banging and breaking
BRANDON — Sophisticated sonar boom height controls are great with a uniform top crop surface. However, an undulating surface will have those booms bouncing, banging and even breaking. The problem is that these systems take a sonar reading from a high spot in the crop, then a low spot, then a high spot again, followed […] Read more
Stricter soil sampling needed to satisfy U.S. regulations
Farmers and consultants have no choice but to get serious with their soil sampling programs when university soil test recommendations turn into government regulations. That is what has transpired in Iowa, prompting Frank Moore to invest nearly $50,000 in a new AutoProbe this winter. Moore farms a couple of thousand acres in northern Iowa and […] Read more
Fuelling the farm with old bags
Alberta entrepreneur High temperature physics wrings every drop of diesel from used bags
Alberta entrepreneur Peter Brown thinks he knows how to wring enough money out of spent grain bags to offset the cost of gathering and transporting them for recycling. Brown’s business, Durham Energy Recovery (DRE), is establishing a state-of-the-art pyrolysis facility that breaks down plastic material and returns it to its natural form — petroleum oil. […] Read moreGrain bags need recycling systems
Grain bag manufacturers have been shirking their responsibilities, according to one of the first retailers to sell grain bagging equipment in Canada. “The bag manufacturers run and hide in the woods the minute somebody asks them about responsibility for used grain bags,” said George Adair, owner of Adair Farm and Ranch Supply in Moosimin, Sask. […] Read more
Tire busting tool saves fingers, prevents injury
BRANDON — Mounting and dismounting tires is an arduous and dangerous task. However, better tools can make a difference, says Justin Ochoa, co-owner of Pneu-Tek Tire Tools. “Bad tools definitely increase the risk,” he said. “Well-designed tools make a difference when it comes to safety.” Ochoa and his father started designing tire tools 30 years […] Read more
