Crop Management
This $4,000 option doesn’t create pretty pictures, but it will keep farmers on the straight and narrow
A marketplace void always attracts an entrepreneur to plug it. For example, until recently there was no low-cost low-tech GPS autosteer for farmers who don’t need or want big time, high tech RTK. That void is currently being filled by a US$3,995 system called Wheelman, developed by an Arizona company called AgJunction. It is an […] Read more
Crop Management
Growers want quicker action on hairy canola
Variety may be needed by producers to control flea beetles if the federal government bans neonic seed treatments
Gene editing may be the hottest technology in plant science. With it, plant breeders can edit the genome of a commercial crop and achieve a desired trait more precisely and rapidly than old techniques such as mutagenesis. Given that such technology exists, Paul Gregory is puzzled by the lack of progress on hairy canola. “We […] Read more
Seed treatments need to work — all the time
Putting tiny amounts of active ingredients over millions of seeds in every run evenly and reliably is a challenge
STANTON, Minn. — You’ve got the genetics, now how do you take full advantage of them. Most producers in Western Canada plant seed with applied treatments, fungicide and insecticide. Virtually all canola is treated. As well, in areas where soybeans and corn are the norm, all seed is treated, as it is in many small-cereal […] Read more
VIDEO: Canola council to reduce extension agronomy
The Canola Council of Canada announced sweeping changes to the organization today at the Canola Industry Meeting in Saskatoon. The main changes are that it is reducing its role in extension agronomy, will no longer be doing market promotion and is restructuring its funding model. Council president Jim Everson told delegates attending the meeting that […] Read more
Rye prices are as good as they’re going to get
At more than C$7 per bushel for rye in Western Canada, Cal Vandaele of Vandaele Seed in Medora, Man. believes the price has topped off. “There’s been bids touching C$8,” Vandaele said, adding the price will decline over the winter. “When they start getting into these levels all buyers are going to be hand-to-mouth. Nobody […] Read more
December StatsCan report could vary from years past
After the long drawn out harvest this fall, some analysts are predicting Statistics Canada’s final Production of Principal Field Crops numbers could vary from the usual pattern. “This is a very uncertain report because that was probably one of the most bizarre falls we’ve ever had on the Prairies,” said Ken Ball of PI Financial […] Read more
Super single wheels work and shine
Your new truck is a Clydesdale, dragging a muddy plow during the week and pulling a Budweiser wagon on Sunday
You just picked up your new F550 or Ram 5550 quad-door 4×4, and it’s equipped to be the heavy-duty draft horse you’ve contemplated for years, except for one thing — wheels. The new truck looks like a true Clydesdale through and through, but the original equipment manufacturer wheels kind of suck. You had your mind […] Read more
Seed terminator installed on combine
An Australian now farming in Canada is using the hammer mill to reduce his dependence on herbicide applications
A Saskatchewan producer brought in a Seed Terminator from Down Under to test its pulverizing abilities on prairie weed seeds this harvest. “Nick Berry, who is also my first cousin, invented it,” said Josh Lade. “We were both pretty apprehensive on how it was going to go, like the tough conditions are a lot different […] Read more
High-tech Haulmaster takes data on-the-go
Thousands of hours of testing went into this data-gathering GPS cart that tracks grain from combine to storage
The new generation Haulmaster Grain Cart from Elmer’s Manufacturing has ushered in a host of technological innovations to streamline harvest. Elmer’s engineers have remade the Haulmaster with a totally new frame and tank design that provides a better balance of height, length and width. To improve combine access, tank walls on all new carts are […] Read more
Autonomous smart cart no dummy
The autonomous AutoCart got a workout in Mike Friesen’s corn field this fall, hooked up to a new generation Haulmaster cart and driverless tractor — and the system really does work. That’s the opinion of Friesen, vice-president of Elmer’s Manufacturing in Altona, Man., builder of the Haulmaster grain cart. Smart Ag in Ames Iowa selected […] Read more
