When the corn begins to grow in research fields used by the University of Illinois, a robot sets to work. It goes up and down the rows, hoeing out weeds and applying herbicide. It is slow, but it works 24 hours a day in most kinds of weather and has few needs except batteries and […] Read more
News
Establishing a strong relationship with your landlord can help ward off future problems
BRANDON — Managing landlords is an essential part of renting land, says Saskatchewan farm accountant Lance Stockbrugger. “It has to be a two-way street, and it has to be a relationship,” Stockbrugger told Manitoba Ag Days. He said most farmland owners, especially retired farmers, have an emotional attachment to the land and aren’t looking for […] Read more
New winter wheat varieties show improved milling quality
Prairie grain growers will soon have access to new winter wheat varieties that offer higher yield potential, better disease resistance and improved end-use quality. Rob Graf, a winter wheat breeder with Agriculture Canada in Lethbridge, told farmers in Saskatoon during Crop Production Week that new varieties are working their way through the pipeline and will […] Read more
Name change provides spike in AFA membership numbers
With fewer farmers and more commodity groups, farm policy organizations must work hard to recruit members
RED DEER — A new name has given the Alberta Federation of Agriculture a boost. Membership in the general farm organization is up 20 percent to 255 individual members, three commodity groups, one non-profit, two association members and 20 patron members. “The new name fits our needs,” said president Lynn Jacobson. The organization, which had […] Read moreFarmer wants harmonized trade
RED DEER — Farm leaders should use their influence to increase harmonized agriculture trade between provinces, says a border area farmer. Terry Murray of Wainwright, Alta., said there are a truck load of opportunities to improve standardized rules around cross border trade for agricultural equipment, food and transportation. He said producers from border towns such […] Read more
Australia leads world in rising temperatures
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) — Australia could face a temperature increase of more than 5 C by the end of the century, says the country’s national science agency. The increase would outpace global warming worldwide. In its most comprehensive analysis yet of the impacts of climate change, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization painted a […] Read more
Good things can happen when farmers talk shop
Farmers have used external resources for years to help with management challenges. Accountants, lawyers and lenders are long-established sources of advice and assistance. More recently, farmers are using advisers who have expertise in production and marketing. As farms increase in size and complexity, more farmers will look to people who can provide them with the […] Read more
China may control future of GMOs
EDMONTON — It won’t be thoughtful conversations that dictate if more genetically modified organisms are part of agriculture’s future, says an American economist specializing in global agriculture. Instead, it will be Chinese politics. “Whatever China decides on GMO is going to move the needle,” Lutz Goedde of Chicago said during a recent FarmTech presentation in […] Read more
Agricultural shippers’ report draws ire of Canadian Pacific
CP executive objects to publicly funded report that says Canadian railways are providing inadequate service
Canadian Pacific Railway has raised a red flag over a recent report on rail performance commissioned by a coalition of agricultural shippers in Western Canada. The Ag Transport Coalition, which comprises producer groups and grain shippers, released a report Jan. 27 that suggested the country’s major railway companies are providing inadequate service to the agriculture […] Read moreFoodgrains bank fighting hunger by empowering farmers
The planet is becoming increasingly urbanized, but most of the world’s hungry continue to be rural based and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. “Despite the fact that the world is urbanizing at a frantic pace, the concentration of hunger is still predominantly a rural phenomena in many parts,” said Jim Cornelius, executive director of […] Read more
