Fewer trips across the field saves time and protects the field, letting producers put up hay more efficiently
“Set a GPS zone on your phone’s app and it will automatically drop the bales there when you pass over it.” Case’s Brian Spencer was describing something new to large square bale production, organizing drop zones on a phone. Case’s lineup of large square bale accumulators includes three-bale and five-bale horizontal models plus a three-bale […] Read moreCrop Management — page 334
Western winter wheat weathered winter well
Seeding winter wheat last fall was impossible in most regions. But in areas where growers were able to get seeding equipment into fields, it’s turned out well. “Our agrologists have been out checking winter wheat fields all across the Prairies, and they report no problems with any of the fields. The crop survived very well […] Read more
Spray vapor molecules tinier than micron size
Common particle filters down to the smallest micron cannot prevent pesticide vapours from entering your lungs. That’s because vapours are molecules, far smaller than particles, and that’s why vapours are dangerous. Common liquids exist in one of three forms, according to Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix in Saskatoon. When frozen it’s solid. When it warms to […] Read more
COVID-19 challenges farmer’s filters
There’s a tonne of farmer respirator information on the internet from different sources, some contradictory. So, we’ll try to make sense of it all. A respirator is designed to provide protection against the inhalation of potentially hazardous contaminants. If you’re upgrading your respirator armory, the first step is to understand the enemy so you have […] Read more
Disputes with China accelerated and frozen by COVID-19
Where will Canadian farmers stand in a new Cold War?
In some ways the COVID-19 crisis has frozen Canada’s and other countries’ disputes with China, drawing everybody’s attention to the immediate needs of preserving national healthcare systems, protecting people’s health, and dealing with the devastating job losses and business failures provoked by the coronavirus. Just today the U.S. government announced that over 30 million U.S. […] Read more
Feds improve COVID-19 ag money, provinces hesitate
The federal government has further tweaked business risk management programs and injected new cash to assist producers facing financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government today announced changes to AgriStability, AgriRecovery and AgriProtection, as well as an additional $252 million in finance assistance. While producer organizations say the new money isn’t enough to […] Read more
Agriculture Canada considers regional field research projects
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted decision makers at the federal agriculture department to scale back sensitive research and suspend non-critical research in laboratories and greenhouses. In an email, Agriculture Canada media relations officer James Watson said Ottawa has scaled back research operations to critical time-sensitive services and has suspended research that requires physical presence in […] Read more
Sunflowers need good start to fight weeds
The introduction of new herbicide-tolerant varieties has made weed control easier but it can still be a tricky situation
Sunflowers are one of the few crops that maintain a relatively stable acre count year after year. Very few sunflower growers drop out. Very few new growers enter the field. This year might see a slight boost in sunflower acres as soybean and canola growers reduce acres. Soil suitable for soybeans is often high-quality land […] Read more
Starter nitrogen applied in-row questioned in a study
Many new pulse varieties and fertilizer products have been released since most research was conducted on pulse sensitivity to fertilizer placed in the seed row. That’s why Harshini Galpottage Dona, a masters of science student at the University of Saskatchewan, decided to revisit the topic while studying under Jeff Schoenau. “She was interested in how […] Read more
Camera goes where human eyes can’t travel
Larger farms mean bigger bin yards with more activity as trucks come and go. It also means the yard may have drivers unfamiliar with your facility, your procedures and your people. All that potentially sets the stage for accidents. The driver can see for certain where all the stationary objects are, but people move. Sometimes […] Read more
