Crop Management
Gordon Bacon knew it wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill Canadian Special Crops Association conference when the group received a distressing call from the Kananaskis Country Golf Course. The Calgary conference was supposed to kick off with a tournament at the scenic Rocky Mountain course June 23. Conference organizers were informed June 21 that the […] Read more
Crop Management
Flood, weather mar special crops conference
COOL revisions could slip into farm bill deal
Avoid Canadian retaliation Farm bill negotiations open the door to revise COOL to adhere to WTO rules
Negotiations around the United States farm bill could provide a chance for Canadian livestock producers to seek changes to American country of origin labelling. John Masswohl, director of government and international relations for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, said June 25 that since the U.S. Senate approved the farm bill and Congress rejected it, further negotiations […] Read moreScout canola fields to assess yields, make improvements
Canola has reached the six leaf stage or beyond in many prairie fields. Weed control should have already taken place and top dressing of fertilizer is a recent memory. So what more can be done to protect yields? “The best investment you can make in your crop is your shadow,” said Canola Council of Canada […] Read more
Hay bale kit allows more hauling, safely
Greg Haukaas wanted a safe and legal way to haul bales without making permanent changes to a big flat deck trailer. “You might want that trailer for spraying, or hauling equipment or bulk bags,” said the farmer and machinery builder from Mortlach, Sask. “But if it could haul hay or straw too, then you can […] Read more
Mechanic shortage affects dealers
Machinery dealers lobby for skilled workers | More openings sought for agricultural mechanic technicians
REGINA — The business of fixing farm machinery in Saskatchewan is getting an overhaul. The industry says machinery dealers across Western Canada would employ 1,000 more mechanics today if they could get them. The shortage is causing business issues for dealers and service delays for producers. “There are dealers that are not building or expanding […] Read more
VIDEO: New carts efficient, drill precise: Morris
Switch from red to silver | The new carts calibrate and fill from the operator’s side
REGINA —Morris Industries has introduced a large capacity single disc drill and a new line of air seeder carts. It is also opting for a new look. Company president Casey Davis showed his excitement the day before the opening of Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina. Grinning widely, he told reporters, a few staff and […] Read more
Small bites of hay deliver big benefits
Improved digestibility | Research shows cutting hay into shorter lengths has advantages
Research shows that cattle feed efficiency and rate of gain improves dramatically when hay pieces are about four inches long, says a U.S. forage expert. As a result, he is advising livestock producers to adopt baling technology that cuts hay into shorter lengths. “The machinery does cost a little bit more initially… but the data […] Read moreChopped hay allows more digesting bacteria
Francis Fluharty thinks chopping hay to shorter lengths is the most important innovation in cutting since sliced bread. “I think it the biggest breakthrough in technology for cow-calf operations, nutritionally, in 50 years,” said Fluharty, an animal science professor from Ohio State University who specializes in ruminant nutrition and animal growth. “Going from the small […] Read more
Harmonized farm equipment legislation plows ahead
REGINA, Sask. — Ontario is hoping to convince provincial governments on the Prairies about the merits of harmonizing consumer protection legislation for farmers. The various provincial acts are similar but were written in different economic times, which has resulted in confusion for producers, dealers and manufacturers. Finbar Desir of the Ontario agriculture ministry is meeting […] Read more
Sask flax acres up but Manitoba area down
When it comes to flax, it’s a tale of two provinces this spring. In its June estimates of principal field crops, released Tuesday morning, Statistics Canada pegged Saskatchewan flax area at 960,000 acres – up from 775,000 acres in 2012 and 535,000 in 2011. In Manitoba, however, flax acres are headed rapidly in the opposite […] Read more
