Crop Management
The cost to dry corn today is about 2.4 percent of corn’s value. That’s a significant drop from 1980 when the cost was about 18 percent of the corn’s value. On the Prairies, this change results from more efficient dryers and better access to natural gas and liquified propane, says GSI specialist Lee Bonn. “In […] Read more
Crop Management
How to best gas up the grain dryers
The Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute began began dryer research four decades ago, publishing its first report in 1985 and establishing it as the dryer authority. PAMI engineer Lorne Greiger offers his insights on fuels and dryer types. Greiger said he thinks portability is the main advantage of propane. As new farming areas open and are […] Read more
What’s better, mixed flow or conventional dryer?
Cross flow
Mixed flow dryers are up to 30 percent more fuel efficient than conventional screen dryers. That efficiency relates to how air flows through the dryer, and that depends on dryer design. “In a conventional cross-flow, the air flows perpendicular to the grain. The grain column is vertical and the air flow is horizontal,” said Lee […] Read more
Farm leaders find common ground at Charlottetown conference
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI — Representatives from countries attending the North American European Union Agricultural Conference here Wednesday agreed they must be included in agriculture policy development. They said they face similar challenges, including policies that don’t reflect reality on their farms, labour shortages, non-tariff trade barriers and increasing demands from consumers who are far removed from […] Read more
World food price index back at two-year low despite rice surge – FAO
PARIS, France (Reuters) — The United Nations food agency’s world price index fell in August to a new two-year low, reversing a rebound seen the previous month, as a decline in most food commodities offset increases for rice and sugar. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s price index, which tracks the most globally traded food commodities, […] Read more
Temporary foreign workers at risk for ‘slavery’ in Canada – UN rep
Envoy should do "his homework", says agri-food labour expert
Bill George, who grows grapes for winemaking in Ontario’s Niagara region, has heard hundreds of comments about temporary foreign workers employed at Canadian farms. Most accusations are delivered through social media and are based on mis-information. But it’s especially frustrating when a person of influence makes what he considers a ridiculous comment about foreign workers […] Read more
Case IH breaks 700 horsepower mark with Steiger 715 Quadtrac
Steiger 715 Quadtrac becomes power leader of production tractors, while new undercarriage provides larger footprint
An August announcement from Case IH claimed it’s the “year of the tractor” for that brand, as it debuts seven new or redesigned models at the U.S. Farm Progress Show in Decatur, Illinois. There were several new Farmall models introduced, including the novel 75C Electric version. But the tractor most likely to steal the spotlight […] Read more
Early harvest? Consider growing winter cereals
The ideal time to seed winter cereals in the Prairies is between the end of August and the middle of September
An early start to harvest in some parts of the Prairies has advantages. It gives farmers more choice of fields to plant winter cereals and more time to do it. “Usually (time) that’s the biggest thing,” Alex Griffiths, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Manitoba agronomist said in an interview Aug. 25. “You’re busy harvesting and don’t want […] Read more
It’s time to scout for blackleg and verticillium stripe
Diseases that are present in fields today will determine how long the crop rotation should be, as well as which canola hybrid to use
Canola farmers need to tackle fungal diseases head on by walking through their fields and learning firsthand the extent of the problem, said an expert. The idea behind scouting isn’t to protect this year’s crop from blackleg and verticillium stripe, said Courtney Boyachek, an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada. “But it does […] Read more
Concern for canola
Mexico has become more hostile to genetically modified crops, agricultural innovations and pesticides, which could jeopardize Canadian ag exports to Mexico, says a biotechnology expert from the University of Saskatchewan Given changes in policy, there’s a chance that Mexico’s dispute with America about genetically modified corn could spread to other crops. “It would be very […] Read more
