The University of Manitoba plans to build a $18.7 million Prairie Crops and Soil Research facility on its main campus in Winnipeg. The university hopes to break ground near the site of the old Agriculture Canada rust laboratory next year. “I can say we’re beyond two-thirds of the way (for fundraising),” said Martin Scanlon, dean […] Read more
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![Bilberry green on green detection is partnering with Netherlands based Agrifac. They hope to be testing the technology in Canada this year. | Bilberry photo]()
Finding green on green and dead where it needs to be
There’s a race to build computer programs that instantaneously differentiates weeds and crops within images taken by sprayer-boom mounted cameras.…
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![In corn production, offset alternating planting offered a 4.5 percent benefit over single row approaches. | Lemken photo]()
Single row drills take back seat to zigzag
Small scale plot comparisons are OK if you’re looking for trends, but if you want credible data that farmers will…
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![Sulphur deficiency: know the signs, have a plan]()
Sulphur deficiency: know the signs, have a plan
Say you're walking through your wheat field and spot some yellowing on upper leaves, but the lower ones look fine.…
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![The 9,000 pound, autonomous field tool uses a 72-horsepower Cummins diesel engine and lasers that operate outside of the visible range at a 10.6-micron wavelength, rapidly making intense heat that, when focused on weeds, kills them. | Carbon Robotics photo]()
Lonely diesel-powered, laser-blasting, weed killing robot
A Seattle-based startup has launched a 9,000 pound autonomous robot that uses a 72-horsepower Cummins diesel engine to power weed-blasting…
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U of A signs wheat deal with farm groups
The University of Alberta has signed a new core funding agreement with the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC), which represents…
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Stories from our other publications
Feds pathway to permanent residency program under fire
Migrant farm workers will be able to apply for permanent residency through a new federal program, but critics say the Liberals plan is flawed. Essential temporary foreign workers and international graduates from Canadian schools will be able to apply for one of the 90,000 new permanent residences. There are 30,000 spots dedicated to temporary workers […] Read more
Climatolgists ring drought alarm
Farmers should not underestimate the drought of 2021, says a North Dakota climatologist. Data from NASA shows that millions of acres of farmland, in northern North Dakota and across the border into Manitoba and Saskatchewan, have extremely low soil moisture this spring. As of the middle of May, NASA rates the soil moisture in the […] Read more
One farmer’s one-man band machinery control
Moving back and forth between the cab and equipment while the tractor is running takes time, energy and risk
A farmer from Grande Prairie, Alta., was tired of climbing in and out of his tractor to engage and disengage the power take-off while bagging and extracting grain, so he built a remote-controlled device to make these jobs easier. “It goes into the cubbyhole and then attaches to the screw points the little padded cushion […] Read more
Finding green on green and dead where it needs to be
Reliably identifying green weeds among a green crop has long been a goal for spot spraying herbicides
There’s a race to build computer programs that instantaneously differentiates weeds and crops within images taken by sprayer-boom mounted cameras. Green-on-brown spraying, where cameras identify plants on brown soil background for burndown applications, has been around for at least 15 years. Weed-It, John Deere See & Spray Select and Amazone AmaSpot can all target individual […] Read more
When the chips fall so do farm machinery sales
Farmers can buy it, but makers can’t make it; supplies of everything from computer chips to steel are failing
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Farmers in the United States, flush with cash after a run-up in grain prices, are clamouring for farm machinery maker Agco Corp. to get them new equipment in time for this year’s harvest. This is a boom time for the Georgia-based company after years of depressed demand. But Agco is scrambling to […] Read more
Single row drills take back seat to zigzag
Small scale plot comparisons are OK if you’re looking for trends, but if you want credible data that farmers will believe, then you’ve got to take it to the field. As well, if you can involve university researchers, it helps measure the results. Such was the thinking at Lemken recently as they began upgrading support […] Read more
Lonely diesel-powered, laser-blasting, weed killing robot
A Seattle-based startup has launched a 9,000 pound autonomous robot that uses a 72-horsepower Cummins diesel engine to power weed-blasting lasers. The machine was built to manage weeds in vegetable row crops, although it may also have a fit on Austin Powers’ nemesis Dr. Evil’s farm, if he had one. “We’re focusing on low-lying row […] Read more
Brisk exports cut into grain, oilseed stocks
The amount of Canadian canola delivered to export terminals at the Port of Vancouver averaged almost 170,000 tonnes a week in April, easily surpassing the pace of deliveries in April 2020. According to data from the Canadian Grain Commission, nearly 675,000 tonnes of canola were delivered to Vancouver export facilities in the four-week period ending […] Read more
Space and agriculture meet on social media in AMA event
The Canadian Space Agency recently joined Agriculture Canada on the social media forum Reddit to answer questions from the public about “how space helps agriculture.” On May 5, nearly 200 people took part in the session. A CSA official kicked off the event by answering the broad question of how space helps agriculture, writing about […] Read more
