BRANDON – The sloping front edge of the ATI High Idler rubber track configuration has attracted attention at prairie farm shows this winter. “Wherever we set up the display, we get a crowd,” said Dale Shepherd, vice-president of Mazur Group, which is a dealer for ATI . “The shape seems to intrigue farmers.” Shepherd said […] Read more
Ron Lyseng
Stories by Ron Lyseng
Rubber tracks save crop in spring, fall
A pair of driven rubber tracks that can fit both the air cart and the combine can save a crop both in the spring and autumn. That’s the conclusion of Grand Prairie, Alta., farmer Devin Linden after running the same set of Griptracs on his Case 8010 combine, a 425-bushel Morris air cart and an […] Read more
Tracked carts not ruled out
Seed Hawk boss Pat Beaujot says rubber tracks are on the agenda at his company, but they need more work to meet farmer demands. “We know a cart will float better on tracks and it’s less likely to get stuck, but there are issues we need to address before we offer tracks,” he said. “We […] Read more
Stay on top of work, not axle deep in it
The secret to keeping your boss happy while combining mucky fields is not to bust through the crust, says Wayne Ratzlaff. He learned this lesson the hard way last fall. A photo of Ratzlaff held in a headlock by boss Wayne Heppner took fifth place in Flaman’s 2010 Stuck in the Muck online photo contest […] Read more
Vertical tillage dries saturated fields
BRANDON – Vertical tillage is not a drastic departure for producers who regularly perform some type of cultivation. However, it might be the compromise that 100 percent zero till producers are looking for as they try to get rid of excess water while still maintaining surface residue. Roger Burak, a diversification technician with Manitoba Agriculture, […] Read more
Vertical till compromise for no-till farmers
BRANDON – Most people who have operated vertical tillage implements use the word “vibrate” to describe the action of the wavy coulters in the soil. Chris Claeys takes the description one step further. “I’d say the word ‘fractures’ is a better term for what happens,” said the farmer from Deloraine, Man. He said that the […] Read more
Rubber tracks versus round, rubber tires
The website for Flaman’s Great Stuck In The Muck 2010 photo contest had 132 entries, of which 129 were machines mounted to tires. Only three were on tracks and those were construction-type tractors that ventured out to help in the rescues. What does that tell us about rubber tracks versus round, rubber tires in wet […] Read more
Tile drains can turn saline land into workhorse
HAVANA, N.D. – Prairie farmers think tile drainage is just for high value vegetable crops, but a North Dakota farmer says it can also pay in field crops like corn and soybeans. The key to making it pay is to do the fields where there is the most to gain, says Joe Breker, who started […] Read more
The Joker doesn’t kid around in mud and ruts
BRANDON – Farmers in the most saturated areas of the Dakotas have had good luck drying fields with a new type of cultivator called the Joker. Chris Fishback, who farms heavy soil in the Red River Valley at Warner, South Dakota, had tried various vertical tillage configurations in what he called a futile attempt to […] Read more
Multiplanter performs miracles in mud
BILLINGS, Mont. – Last year’s wet weather wasn’t limited to the Canadian Prairies. It also affected producers in the northern United States, including Tim Nessan of southern Montana. His rotation requires 9,500 acres of winter wheat, and last year he was seeding into conditions so muddy that he finally had to park his 60 and […] Read more
