Crop Management
This year at Crop Production Week in Saskatoon reporters from The Western Producer were not only grinding out thousands of words of copy for Canadian producers, they were also shooting video. This is compilation of some of the clips they collected. Longer videos of individual interviews and scrums will accompany stories posted here on The […] Read more
Crop Management
Input companies embrace integrated agriculture
Integrated agriculture will likely be one of the Top 10 buzzwords at North American farm conferences and workshops this year, but it will be nothing new for Jim Budzynski. Budzynski, managing partner of MacroGain Partners, an Indiana investment and consulting firm specializing in agri-food and energy, has been using the phrase for at least a […] Read more
Global farm ministers call for higher, diverse food production
HAMBURG, Jan 18 (Reuters) – A meeting of agriculture ministers from 69 countries on Saturday called for higher farm productivity coupled with cultivation of diverse crop types to help beat world hunger. Global farming needs to maintain a balance between diversity and high output while avoiding monoculture of single crops, said a statement from Germany’s […] Read more
Seeking solutions to top layer compaction
Vertical tillage, sub-soiler debated | Zero-till farmer says the Smart-Till penetrates the soil and fractures it sideways
MINOT, N.D. — Dustin Williams sat down recently during the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association’s annual meeting to talk about a topic usually forbidden at zero till conferences. Williams, a former president of the association, bought a Smart-Till vertical tillage implement in 2012 to break up compacted soil on his farm. “I have compaction […] Read more
World’s biggest Honey Bees created buzz in their day
Rear-wheel drive | A more economical way to push power to the ground?
Who says tractors absolutely need centre articulated 4 x 4 to handle big power? It probably wasn’t Greg Honey of Honey Bee Manufacturing. In fact, Honey would more than likely explain that the basic old design of the conventional two wheel drive tractor can safely and economically pump 500 or more horsepower to the ground. […] Read more
High speed discing goes deep
The new Lemken Rubin 12 compact disc harrow works soil up to eight inches deep at speeds up to 10 m.p.h. with 29 inch discs. “Those 29 inch discs are the largest of any compact disc machine,” said Waldemar Heidebrecht, a Lemken distributor in Manitoba and Sask-atchewan. “Maybe the old Wishak tandem disc was bigger, […] Read more
Diesel exhaust fluid different
As of this month, all new diesel engines from 175 to 750 horsepower must be Tier 4 compliant, which means diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) will be required to meet the criteria. From now on, every new implement will need DEF to function. Unlike previous emissions systems since the 1990s, there is no way to circumvent […] Read more
Tracks or tires: which causes more soil compaction?
“How many people believe that tracks are actually better than tires for soil compaction?” Marla Riekman, Manitoba Agriculture land’s management specialist, recently asked farmers at the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association workshop in Minot, North Dakota. Riekman said Ohio State University research indicates that tires cause the same amount of damage as tracks if […] Read more
Highlights of Crop Production Week and CropSphere 2014
Here’s a brief look at some of the highlights of Crop Production Week and CropSphere 2014. • Simpson Seeds believes canaryseed production was 138,500 tonnes, up from Agriculture Canada’s forecast of 119,000 tonnes. Prices forecast to be stable to slightly down. • Mexico isn’t budging on quarantine weed seed stance on canaryseed shipments and exporters […] Read more
Cover crops less common in Canada than U.S.
MINOT, N.D. — It’s difficult to attend an agricultural meeting in North Dakota without someone praising the virtues of cover crops. North of the border, planting a cocktail of plants to aid soil fertility and build more resilient soil remains an unorthodox coffee shop topic and a rare on-farm practice. Scott Day, who was a […] Read more
