Crop ManagementAccurate seed treatment Farmers can’t determine the correct rate unless seed volume is known
BRANDON — Determining volume is the biggest challenge when treating seed. There are three critical elements of seed treatment: seed rate, chemical volume and accurate application of fungicide. Bob Reekie, a consultant for Bayer Crop Sciences, said the rate must be adjusted constantly because of fluctuations in the density and volume of seed coming through […] Read more
Crop Management
Get the math right the first time
Interest in modifications persists
BRANDON — It’s no secret that diesel engines in combines, tractors and highway rigs have been receiving the backyard performance treatment for the past decade. Power and fuel economy of diesel engines built since late 2005 sometimes fall below owners’ expectations. However, the days of simply turning up the screw on the injector pump for […] Read more
Module boosts horsepower the legal way
Diesel performance | Increase is achieved without risking a fine for messing with emission controls
BRANDON — Farmers and truckers now have a legal way to boost power and improve fuel economy without altering the government mandated emission controls. Mike Munroe of Western Turbo and Fuel Injection said his company’s Agricultural Diesel Solutions module legally meets farmers’ needs for better performance because it doesn’t change the map or program in […] Read more
Peristaltic pumps: part meter, part pump, all reliable
BRANDON — Saying that a pump is a pump is like saying that a horse is a horse. It’s not true, especially with pumps that come with high expectations. Peristaltic pumps probably come with the highest expectations in terms of accuracy, which is why Westfield chose them for its STORM seed treatment plant. According to […] Read more
New single disc drill improves seed placement
Double duty | The 500 air drill offers singulation, allowing canola growers to reduce seeding rates
BRANDON — Counting costly canola seeds one by one as they drop isn’t humanly possible, although rising seed prices may have prompted some growers to consider it. Anything that lets a canola grower reduce his seeding rate without reducing yield is bound to attract attention, which is just one of the factors Case IH had […] Read more
Flag combines big hit on Prairies
Wrapped in the flag | What started as a promotional campaign has grown in popularity
TULARE, Calif. — Massey Ferguson likes how the Canadian flag feels. When the farm equipment manufacturer laid out a giant, flying Canadian flag across two sides of one of its new combines last year, the idea was to promote the machine and the brand in Western Canada. The wrapped combine idea has since caught on […] Read more
New Versatile tracked tractor
Versatile has launched a new tracked tractor, the Delta Track. The Greek symbol for a triangle is the delta, a match for the shape of things to come from Versatile this summer. Four deltas, one for each corner of their new tractor. In front of dealers in Palm Springs, Calif., Winnipeg-based Versatile released three models […] Read more
New focus placed on wheat
Variety development | Syngenta sets 2020 target for hybrid wheat
Syngenta expects Canada to be at the forefront of the anticipated wheat development revolution and plans to have new varieties in farmers’ hands soon. “By 2020, our intention is to bring hybrid wheat into the marketplace” in Canada and the United States, said Todd Ormann, head of Syngenta’s Canadian wheat development program. “If I was […] Read more
Earth moving boosts productivity
What goes down should go up | Sloped fields can experience tillage erosion unless soil is shifted from the bottom to the top
CALGARY — Soil movement from higher spots to lower spots in a field lowers production potential and increases variability. What can be done about it? University of Manitoba soil scientist David Lobb has numerous suggestions, the most drastic of which is to move soil from the bottom of slopes back to the top. Lobb told […] Read more
Small scale wind or solar more economical? It’s no contest
Just as the wind can roar and then subside, so can the fortunes of the machines designed to capture its energy. A few years ago, it seemed that wind had the edge over solar in kilowatt hours produced per dollar invested in residential projects. For Sask-atchewan, that resulted in a brief but intense love affair. […] Read more
