BRANDON – When Morris Industries introduced its 650-bushel Eight Series XL cart, all variable rate models came standard with hydraulic drive metering rather than ground drive. “All four tanks are equipped for variable rate. The hydraulic motors are controlled by the monitor in the cab,” said Don Henry of Morris at the recent Manitoba Ag […] Read more
News
Variable rate cart promises fewer fills, better product handling
Canadian food sector falling behind
An Ottawa-based research think-tank partially funded by Agriculture Canada has issued a provocative report calling on governments and the food sector to dramatically improve their competitive performance. The 100-page report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute describes a country whose food sector is stagnating, falling behind other countries in the fight for global markets, lacking […] Read more
XL Foods to upgrade beef plant
XL Foods has received a $1.6 million grant to upgrade its ground beef production line at its Brooks, Alta., plant. The grant, provided through the federal government’s Growing Forward program, will be paid out over two years. The money will be administered through the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA), said a government news release. […] Read more
Farming progress brings new problems
William Dascavich is a farmer from Edmonton In the early years of western Canadian agriculture, fields were dotted with straw piles. They stood out like pimples on the Prairies. In the fall, when the grain was threshed, virtually every field had one. They varied in size and shape but generally appeared like miniature light-coloured mountains […] Read more
Russia eager to see exports resume
MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) – Russia can regain its place among the world’s top wheat exporters as long as it can avoid catastrophes such as last year’s massive drought. Russia had plowed capital into its grains infrastructure as part of a longer- term strategy to push into international wheat markets. These efforts had made it the […] Read more
Holding back nature, one degree at a time
Heat is always on the move. Whether it is the teapot going cold or the warmth from our home’s natural and artificial heating systems, heat tries to migrate to colder areas. Several types of heat transfer affect us: radiant, convection, conduction and phase change. Radiant heat transfer is one that we know well. The sun, […] Read more
Curling a way for rural women to connect and stay active
Curling helps maintain women’s physical health, keeps them active and connected to other people in the community and is a fun way to support the community, new research has documented. On the negative side, declining rural population often means fewer resources to keep the rinks open. Growing up on a farm at Beadle, Sask., visits […] Read more
Western bean cutworm may pose threat to field peas, warn researchers
Peas could be in danger if the western bean cutworm makes the trip to Western Canada. A University of Guelph researcher who has fought the bug since it invaded Ontario in 2008 issued the warning during the recent Manitoba Special Crops Symposium. “This thing scares me more than anything else I’ve worked with,” Chris Gillard […] Read more
A bit more than a breeze at 200 km/h
I have done some travellin’ to places far away Just to feel and hear the wind as it travels on its way. Those northers down in Texas can chill you to the bone And the blizzards in Alaska will turn your blood to stone. There’s the twisters in the Midwest that wreck all in your […] Read more
GMO retraction near impossible, warns expert
GUELPH, Ont. – It is becoming almost impossible to guarantee an absence of genetically modified presence in Canadian crops because of the spread of GM varieties, says a plant researcher. Rene Van Acker, associate dean of the University of Guelph’s plant agriculture department, told a meeting of the House of Commons agriculture committee Feb. 8 […] Read more
