Crops will always experience drought, flood, frost, extreme heat, disease, insects and weeds. Healthier crops have better odds of surviving these attacks, while simultaneously slowing the effects of climate change. That may sound good, but how do you go about raising healthier crops? According to plant health guru Graeme Sait, your crop has better odds […] Read more
Ron Lyseng
Stories by Ron Lyseng
Economical hands-off autosteer back again
This $4,000 option doesn’t create pretty pictures, but it will keep farmers on the straight and narrow
A marketplace void always attracts an entrepreneur to plug it. For example, until recently there was no low-cost low-tech GPS autosteer for farmers who don’t need or want big time, high tech RTK. That void is currently being filled by a US$3,995 system called Wheelman, developed by an Arizona company called AgJunction. It is an […] Read more
Subsoiling, done the Czech way
Terraland helps farmers maximize their subsoil disruption by using triple angle chisel teeth tips and sharp blades
LANGHAM, Sask. — It’s been a while since prairie farmers have seen a new subsoiler, which explains why Bednar brought its brand new Terraland chisel plough to the Ag In Motion show this past summer. Terraland’s role is to disrupt layers of compressed soil, Bednar’s Juraj Skolka said while standing next to the bright yellow, […] Read more
One-pass seeding with two-inch separation
A new knife guarantees safe separation of seed and fertilizer when using the Precision Disk drill from Case
Case has delivered a new one-pass seed-fertilizer disc drill this fall. After several years of producing the Precision Disk single shoot 500, and many producer questions about a single pass drill version, CNH has delivered a double-shoot option on the machine. The new DS is based on the existing series of Precision Disk drills already […] Read more
Super single wheels work and shine
Your new truck is a Clydesdale, dragging a muddy plow during the week and pulling a Budweiser wagon on Sunday
You just picked up your new F550 or Ram 5550 quad-door 4×4, and it’s equipped to be the heavy-duty draft horse you’ve contemplated for years, except for one thing — wheels. The new truck looks like a true Clydesdale through and through, but the original equipment manufacturer wheels kind of suck. You had your mind […] Read more
High-tech Haulmaster takes data on-the-go
Thousands of hours of testing went into this data-gathering GPS cart that tracks grain from combine to storage
The new generation Haulmaster Grain Cart from Elmer’s Manufacturing has ushered in a host of technological innovations to streamline harvest. Elmer’s engineers have remade the Haulmaster with a totally new frame and tank design that provides a better balance of height, length and width. To improve combine access, tank walls on all new carts are […] Read more
Autonomous smart cart no dummy
The autonomous AutoCart got a workout in Mike Friesen’s corn field this fall, hooked up to a new generation Haulmaster cart and driverless tractor — and the system really does work. That’s the opinion of Friesen, vice-president of Elmer’s Manufacturing in Altona, Man., builder of the Haulmaster grain cart. Smart Ag in Ames Iowa selected […] Read more
A really high high-clearance sprayer
If a 90-inch gap between your sprayer underbelly and the Earth’s crust isn’t enough, then you’d better get an airplane
High-clearance sprayers are reaching great new heights as they’re called upon to dribble nitrogen and spray fungicide and other crop protection products on corn as well as work in tall horticultural crops. Steve Simon of Simon Innovations is head and shoulders above original equipment manufacturers and other aftermarket lift kit companies with his high-clearance lifters […] Read more
Colour your guessing glass gauge gone
The high-clearance sprayer represents the most advanced agricultural technology that we have today — except for that obsolete guessing glass gauge we depend on to sight-estimate liquid volume in the tank. It’s time to get rid of the clear sight gauge. Most farmers and custom applicators agree that the sight gauge takes the word “precision” […] Read more
Lime falls out of soil scientist’s limelight
Continuing long-term research plots dating back to 2003 question the value of liming to enhance crop production in poor soils
Lime, often thought of as a cure for phosphorus deficient soil, may not be as effective as previously assumed, according to researchers. However, without phosphorus, plants wither and die. Although plants require phosphorus, there is often a “withdrawal limit” on how much their roots can extract from the soil. Soil-bound phosphorus is often in a […] Read more
