Have drone aerial images be-come useful tools yet, or are they still stuck in the realm of “pretty pictures?” The best response to this challenge will net someone US$140,000 cash. Rapid evolution in drone technology has made high-resolution aerial field photos readily available to all farmers at a reasonable cost. A whole new industry has […] Read more
Ron Lyseng
Stories by Ron Lyseng
Aerator tackles hard, reduced-till soil
Soil needs to breath. It loses productivity when sealed with a layer of hardpan or a buildup of mulch on the surface to block the infiltration of air and water. Cattle producers have long realized that pasture soil becomes dry and hard when it has been compacted by a concentration of animal hoofs and has […] Read more
Concern for land or just good business?
BRANDON — When Manitoba farmer Scott Day presented his new business model for farmland ownership, farmers attending meetings earlier this year sat up and paid attention. Day explained his role in a new farmland investment venture with a San Francisco based private equity firm called Fall Line Capital. While dozens of American farmland investment groups […] Read more
Who can afford to buy land?
BRANDON — Fall Line Capital agent Scott Day says the company he works for is filling a void in farming country. “There are large tracts of land for sale in cattle country, but nobody’s buying,”he said. “The ranchers have gone out of business, and there’s nobody in the area who can afford to step in.” […] Read more
Company invests in innovation
BRANDON — Fall Line Capital is recognized primarily as a farmland investment firm, but it also invests in early stage ag technology companies that initiate innovative solutions to agronomic challenges. These companies have the potential to become strategic to Fall Line land holdings by improving soil productivity and enhancing soil stewardship, says Fall Line agent […] Read more
John Deere’s high speed planter upgrade designed for speed
MOLINE, Ill. — The MaxEmerge 5e and ExactEmerge planters are John Deere’s answer to the European Maestro and Tempo high-speed corn planters. Upgrades to both JD planters were revealed this month in Moline. “There’s a lot of interest in high-speed planters. There’s a lot of interest in hitting your planting window, and rightfully so,” said […] Read more
Deere’s 700 harvesters big on auto
MOLINE, Ill. — Try this. Put your 15-year-old nephew into your half-million dollar harvester, make your initial settings and then turn him loose in the canola for a day of combining. It’s a scary thought, right? However, John Deere says that’s what a farmer can do with a new 2018 S700 series combine. Based on […] Read more
John Deere matches cart size to quarter section seeding strategy
MOLINE, Ill. — In designing its new C850 air cart, John Deere declined the temptation to join the “now I’m the biggest” competition. Instead, it has designed an 850 bushel cart with four tanks that ensures the operator can seed a full quarter section without stopping to fill. The extra 100 or 200 bushels often […] Read more
Take two aspirins and call me at harvest time
Millions of people take an aspirin a day to prevent stroke and heart attack, but researchers say an active ingredient found in aspirin also gets crops off to a healthier start. Brazilian plant scientists have discovered that the same salicylic acid that is a basic ingredient in common aspirin and skin care products holds the […] Read more
Build your own handling system
Expanding your farm’s size has benefits when it comes to economy of scale. But just like higher grain yields, the higher volume can create a schmozzle with your grain handling system. Buying or renting new land nearly always means spreading the farm further afield. That can leave you with grain bins scattered far apart. Or, […] Read more
