Jerome Pratchler of Mumby Manufacturing in Muenster, Sask., said his new Ease Guide ball hitch system will simplify the process of trying to back up close enough to hook up bumper-mounted ball hitches. The Ease Guide won the Most Outstanding New Invention Award at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show held June 17-19 in Regina. […] Read more
Production
New Product – No miss hookup
Less pressure solves plugging
Norbert Beaujot knows how to build a big seeding system. The southern Saskatchewan maker of Seed Master drills has built wide machines for years and last year released a 90 foot design. This week he went a step further with a 600 bushel fertilizer tank. However, these bigger and wider systems come with their own […] Read more
Cold weather puts flea beetles in driver’s seat
Flea beetles are making more of a pest of themselves than normal this year, thanks to delayed canola germination and cold temperatures. “You’ll always see pockets of damage, where the weather, seeding timing and insect development line up to cause a problem,” said Doug Moisey of the Canola Council of Canada. “This year, those pockets […] Read more
Winter pulses still risky: Alberta study
LETHBRIDGE – Growing winter peas, lentils and fababeans is still an iffy proposition in Alberta. Plots of winter and spring pulses have been planted at Lethbridge, Brooks, Lacombe and Edmonton to compare varieties and survivability. The crops survived this winter’s frigid temperatures but plots were lost in the spring, said Alberta Agriculture pulse specialist Mark […] Read more
Marking 100 years of nitrogen fertilizer from fossil fuel – Organic Matters
In October 1908, Fritz Haber filed a patent on the “synthesis of ammonia from its elements.” This achievement led to his 1918 Nobel Prize in chemistry. He collaborated with an industrial colleague, Carl Bosch, to develop the Haber-Bosch process to manufacture large quantities of nitrogen fertilizer as well as explosives. And thus humans faced another […] Read more
Old containers given new life
Most people in agriculture grumble about high freight costs, but for Joe Hamilton they resulted in an exciting new business opportunity. For the past three years, Hamilton had distributed modified ocean freight containers from his Saskatoon-based business, Bond Industrial Direct Inc. He would place an order with his used container suppliers in Vancouver, Montreal and […] Read more
Life is smooth sailing when tires work together – Inside Machines
Got tractor bounce? Can’t hold the steering wheel? Unable to read the messages on your smart phone while trying to work in the field? You’ve got power hop. I have seen tires lift off the ground as much as a foot. You are not on a bumpy field. It feels different from what you get […] Read more
Fast and steady wins the race
BRANDON – The common assumption is that seeding more acres per hour means buying a bigger drill. But what about a moderately sized drill that seeds at 15 mph? That’s the concept Australian entrepreneur Noel Tobin started with years ago when he began developing the Bullet for his Tobin Disc Drill company in New South […] Read more
Funds available to improve water systems
In this and in future issues of the Western Producer, staff journalist Brian Cross will examine the point where public policy meets the farm. Saskatchewan Agriculture has revamped a popular program that helps producers dig wells, install underground waterlines and excavate dugouts in pastures and farmyards. The Farm and Ranch Water Infrastructure Program (FRWIP) is […] Read more
Busting the MIG myth; pretty is not perfect – The Buzz Box
The latest low-cost metal inert gas (MIG) wire feed welders are a popular purchase these days. They make beautiful welds and instantly turn anyone into an expert, so the story goes. But the story is false. The problem isn’t the machine. Manufacturers make fantastic little welders for less than $1,000. Even the 110-volt units have […] Read more
