TIG torch Weldcraft recently introduced the Super Cool 18 TIG torch to eliminate overheating on higher amperage, water-cooled applications. Super Cool 18 operates up to 400 amps and features a patented water-cooling chamber, which is designed to limit downtime associated with overheated torch components. The chamber allows water to flow down, around and up the […] Read more
Production — page 101
New Products
Price puts focus on fertilizer efficiency
The high price of fertilizer is boosting interest in efficient nutrient use. Every farm and field is different. It is important to select the best management practices suited to field conditions. Efficiency has many facets. Nutrient management is more than applying the minimum to get an average crop. It needs to consider how the productivity […] Read more
Prepare combine for winter sunflowers
Penzance, Sask. – Harvesting sunflowers can be an exercise in patience, according to one long-term grower. The oilseed has been grown on the Thorson farm near Penzance, Sask., for more than 30 years. “My dad grew them in ’72 and we’ve grown them, off and on, ever since. I’ve been growing them fairly steady since […] Read more
Seed not best place to scrimp
Pinching pennies can come at a cost for producers who opt for common seed rather than certified seed when planting forages, says a Manitoba Agriculture range and pasture management specialist. Although common seed is less expensive, the downside is the potential for poorer productivity, Jane Thornton said at a recent Manitoba Grazing School in Brandon. […] Read more
Fungi has rosy future on the farm
NISKU Alta. – Mycorrhizae is a naturally occurring relationship between fungi and plant roots that scientists believe has existed for about 400 million years, and which colonizes 95 percent of all plant species. The role of mycorrhizal fungi has always been to help plant roots gain better access to moisture and nutrients in the soil. […] Read more
Seeds get dose of the future
NISKU Alta. – You don’t have to wait to see the day when all fertilizer and crop protection products are applied to the seed, according to Bob Graham of Graham Seeds in Olds, Alta. “It’s not something that’s coming around the bend. It’s here today,” said Graham. “All you have to do is travel to […] Read more
Prairie soils unique and productive
NISKU, Alta. – Prairie producers would do better to compare their soil characteristics to those found in Russia, Siberia or Mongolia than those found in the U.S. northern plains. Yet many agronomic recommendations come from American Great Plains states, which often don’t work in Canadian conditions, said Rigas Karamanos, manager of agronomy for Westco. “We […] Read more
Zero-till system changes fertility requirements
NISKU, Alta. – The availability of some crop-accessible soil nutrients improves the longer a field is in zero till, said Rigas Karamanos, agronomy manager for Westco. He said a farmer who is aware of these improvements can use them for economic benefit. Ignoring those changes is to waste input dollars. The most important of these […] Read more
Delivery van ferries water to sprayer
Pasqua, Sask. – Until the spring of 2004, Rob Rigetti had used a three-ton truck to haul water to his sprayer. For the past two years, he’s been using a 48-foot, two-axle dry goods van pulled behind a highway tractor. Rigetti had been talking to neighbours who used a similar trailer to haul their water. […] Read more
Water key to choosing greenhouse fertilizer
EDMONTON – One of the most common problems customers have with greenhouse fertilizers for bedding plants and vegetables is water quality, says Thom Rypien of Westgro Horticultural Supplies in Calgary. “Just because the water is potable doesn’t mean it’s going to be good for plant growth,” Rypien told the recent Alberta Horticultural Congress in Edmonton. […] Read more
