Fans and dryers | Automation means propane-fuelled generator requires less monitoring
FARGO, N.D. — The late spring and wet fall have many farmers wishing for electricity to power fans and dryers at their remote bins scattered across the Prairies. Master electrician Alan Johnson of Glyndon, Minnesota, says producers should consider propane as a viable fuel when buying generators for remote locations. Johnson displayed one of his […] Read more
Ron Lyseng
Stories by Ron Lyseng
The Case for going bigger at harvest
Bigger tank, heavier engine increases harvest capacity
Size seems to be the biggest factor in the equation of harvest efficiency and Case just bumped up the numbers big time. The Axial-Flow 7240, 8240 and 9240 combines have the industry’s largest grain tanks at 410 bushels and largest fuel tanks at 297 and 317 U.S. gallons, according to Case IH. “As producers continue […] Read more
Case allows farmers to mix tracks and tires
Narrow track tractor | Company looks to re-enter row crop sector with new machine
Row croppers were pleased last year when Case introduced its narrow Rowtrac tractor designed specifically for them, although the four-track system still caused ridging in the headlands. The new tractor had all the GPS guidance, digital controls and amenities of the bigger Quadtrac machines. The hydraulics were similar to those found on a big frame […] Read more
Broadcast spreader enters 21st century
New disc design | Kuhn machine called a precision broadcast fertilizer spreader
It seems odd that sales of broadcast fertilizer spreaders increased at the same time that precision farming became popular in North America. Spreaders seem contrary to what was assumed to be the mainstream trend, but interest in the equipment is so strong that Kuhn has introduced a new model it has dubbed a precision broadcast […] Read more
Winter wheat shines in a wet year
Saving half a season | Fall-seeded crop can help growers can pull a rabbit out of their cap
It is estimated that four to five million prairie acres went unseeded this year or were seeded and then flooded. But don’t write them all off. “It’s a good opportunity to get winter wheat into the ground and take your profit in 2015,” says Bruce Burnett, CWB’s director of weather and market analysis. “Where you […] Read more
Manage each plant individually at nine m.p.h.
How specific do we need to be in our precision farming endeavours? The answer, according to a researcher at Texas A&M, is “each plant should be managed individually.” Alex Thomasson develops sensors and support devices that fit at the tip of leading edge precision ag technology. He’s currently working with systems that allow a fertilizer […] Read more
Breeders first to use lightning fast electronic sensors
It may be a few years before opti-electronic sensors manage individual canola plants, but scientists are already using this new technology in plant breeding programs. Texas A&M is developing sorghum varieties for bioenergy production. They’re selecting for a long list of characteristics, including yield, drought tolerance, plant height, leaf size, nitrogen efficiency, time to maturity […] Read more
Producer uses smaller fan to aerate bigger bin in horizontal system
One of the big hits on big bins is they do not lend themselves to aeration. They’re made for efficient storage of grain that’s already in good condition. Gavin Green farms near Portreeve in southwestern Saskatchewan, where he has two of those 65-foot tall 50,000 bushel bins. They measure 33 feet in diameter and 65 […] Read more
Looking at grain aeration sideways
Push air horizontally | Air tube design lets air take the path of least resistance
Cereal kernels are elongated and stack horizontally like cordwood. So isn’t it logical to blow air sideways from the bin walls instead of up from the floor? It’s simply the next step in the process of re-thinking grain aeration, says Gary Schreimer, inventor of the Gatco Grain Air Tube and owner of the company. Although […] Read more
When drilling a well, location is everything
Seismo-electric technology New method for locating groundwater cites 75 to 90 percent success rate
Farmers are drilling deeper with each passing generation as they look for reliable quantities of good water to support livestock operations. “It is simply due to the thinking that we can obtain more reliable water and bigger (water) yields by getting away from shallows wells that may be susceptible to surface contamination,” says groundwater specialist […] Read more
