Crop Management
Autonomous unit has a four hour run time, six minute charge time and is comparable to a 100-horsepower tractor
In recent years, automotive and agricultural equipment brands have been increasingly looking to the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show to debut new digital and robotic technologies as those features proliferate on new machines. This year Kubota chose that event to unveil its New Agri Concept fully autonomous tractor. Autonomous machines and data utilization are key […] Read more
Crop Management
The wild side of pollination
Flowering plants have developed a few ways to move their pollen around, and thus protect their genetic diversity. Many grasses are wind pollinated and, as a backup for their long-shot pollination method, can self-pollinate to bring about the next generation. If you’re a broadleaf plant, you’re likely putting animals to work, whether that’s birds, insects […] Read more
Company helps streamline shift to autonomy
Bluewhite focuses on assisting customers’ move to autonomous operations with retrofit kit for utility tractors
Alon Ascher, chief business officer at Bluewhite, an autonomous systems company, believes adopting the newest technologies on a farm isn’t something that can easily happen in one single step. So, as his company works with growers to incorporate self-driving tractors, he thinks it helps to make it a gradual process. Related stories in this issue: […] Read more
U.S. court cancels dicamba approval
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) — A U.S. court has nullified the government’s latest approvals of certain agricultural herbicides sold by Bayer, BASF and Syngenta, fueling uncertainty among farmers who spray the products on soybeans and cotton genetically modified to resist them. Environmental activists cheered the court for halting use of the dicamba-based herbicides, which are known […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus plans pea protein plant in Sask.
PARIS, France (Reuters) — Louis Dreyfus Co. will build a pea protein production facility in Yorkton, Sask., as it invests in plant-based protein as part of a push to diversify its agricultural commodity activities. The company will build the facility at its existing industrial complex in Yorkton and aims for it to be ready by […] Read more
Protein sector faces labour crunch: report
SASKATOON — Government, industry and educational institutes must act now to address the labour challenges confronting the emerging plant-based protein industry in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, according to a new report. “The danger here might be that the sector might not live up to its potential,” said Nicholas Renzetti, research associate with Smart Property Institute, the […] Read more
EPA underestimated U.S. biodiesel production
The low Renewable Fuel Standards assumptions made by the agency threw a monkey wrench into the industry's plans
SASKATOON — Biofuel promoters are feeling simultaneously vindicated and frustrated by new numbers released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Those numbers show U.S. biomass-based diesel production, which includes biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and heating oil, reached four billion gallons in 2023. Related stories: Carbon intensity is ‘game changer’ Renewable diesel plans […] Read more
Man. canola yields thought to be record-setting
Results for 2023 not official yet, but anecdotal reports and gov’t estimates suggest average yield in high 40s is possible
WINNIPEG — The numbers are not official, but Manitoba farmers might set a new record for canola yields in 2023. The record for Manitoba was established in 2017, when the provincial average was 47 bushels per acre. That number comes from Yield Manitoba, a publication of the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corp., the provincial crop insurer. […] Read more
Subsurface irrigation called way of the future
Early adopters in southern Alberta are pioneering the practice of delivering water directly to crop roots using drip lines
MEDICINE HAT — Subsurface drip irrigation is a relatively new system to the Prairies, but one of southern Alberta’s early adopters is confident it’s an effective way to grow crops with water efficiency rates second to none. Subsurface irrigation systems deliver water directly to roots using drip lines and is commonly designed to be spaced […] Read more
Monsoon disappointment affects Indian pulses
India's northeast monsoon produced less rain than normal, which in turn reduced the amount of pulses farmers plant
SASKATOON — India’s winter monsoon has been a disappointment, but farmers in that country still might harvest a record lentil crop, says an analyst. South Asia experiences two monsoons: the southwest or summer monsoon, which usually occurs from June through September, and the northeast monsoon from October to December. Related stories: India may need to […] Read more
