Four-way knuckle system | Large land roller folds and unfolds without operator having to back up or get out of the tractor
The demand for bigger implements has caught up with rollers, some of which can exceed 100 feet yet fold to a transport width of less than 13 feet. Like all other implements that have up-sized in recent years, the growth of field rollers was only possible with the introduction of new technology. Rite Way land […] Read more
Ron Lyseng
Stories by Ron Lyseng
Video: Grain vacuum makes hauling a one man job
VRX GrainVac really sucks | Centrifugal suction fan has redesigned blades that reduce wear
Farmers hate feathering equipment when time is on the line. One of those nuisances is balancing the grain to air ratio using a vacuum system. “We used to put the nozzle into the pile of grain and carefully monitor the ratio of grain and air. You had to be so careful to make sure you […] Read moreVacuum shines handling sunflowers
REM organized numerous VRX grain vacuum demonstrations this summer to make sure producers understood that this is more than just the same old GrainVac with a new name. One of those demonstrations was on Greg Kessel’s farm near Dickinson, North Dakota. Like many farmers in southwestern North Dakota, Kessel grows sunflowers. Sunflower producers know that […] Read more
Video: Seed faster with small machine
Tempo turns it up | Small implements may trump bigger, hard to manoeuvre implements
A smaller planter means less capital investment, a cheaper tractor and a lot of acres per day when running at 10 m.p.h., says a Saskatchewan farmer. Blake Brownridge of Arcola said he became a believer in the European concept of small, high-speed implements last year when he seeded 300 acres with the 16-row Vaderstad Tempo […] Read more
Carefully placed corn seed clocked at 15 km-h
Those nimble 10 m.p.h. European field implements are quite the opposite of most of North America’s large slow-moving machines, but they might have a fit on prairie farms. Surprisingly, that’s the opinion of Pat Beaujot of Seed Hawk, a leading Canadian manufacturer that builds 84 foot air drills and 800 bushel carts. Beaujot said he […] Read more
When vertical tillage isn’t vertical tillage
A string of wet springs has steered a lot of prairie farmers into vertical tillage as a way to seed into soggy soil. Most producers say their new equipment accomplished what it was supposed to, which was to get them seeding sooner. However, vertical tillage can also be an important tool in fighting crop disease, […] Read more
Growers find new uses for cultivator
Salford RTS 1100 | Lightweight machine for small seed crops can seed wheat
Matt Kremeniuk, who uses his Salford RTS 1100 to apply fertilizer, under-seed timothy and seed canola and barley, says wheat will be the next crop to be seeded using vertical tillage. After two years using the RTS 1100, Kremeniuk said light weight seeding rigs with shallow working tools are the obvious winners when it comes […] Read more
New biological agent a first in Canada
Biological partners | Inoculants co-operate with natural soil microflora instead of competing for supremacy
Two new liquid rhizobial inoculants, the first of their kind to be registered in Canada, are available for soybeans, peas and lentils. Developed by the Winnipeg bioresearch company XiteBio Technologies, these inoculants differ from conventional products in the way they form co-operative, synergetic partnerships with background rhizobia that have inhabited the soil for millions of […] Read moreManitoba bugs bugged by cold, late spring
Manitoba farmers are cautiously optimistic that the bad spring weather might reduce input costs if they can skip one or two insecticide applications. But it’s still too early to make that determination, according to Manitoba Agriculture entomologist John Gavloski. Cold weather and frozen ground prevented seeding in April. Nearly all the seeding was completed before […] Read more
Timing critical when deciding when to spray for flea beetles
Spending a toonie to prevent a loonie’s worth of damage doesn’t make sense. The same principle applies when deciding whether to spray flea beetles in young canola crops. The visual signs of leaf decimation can be enough to make even the most seasoned veteran canola grower call in the sprayer. Conventional wisdom says to start […] Read more
