Production — page 171

New grain vacuum acts like an auger By Michael Raine Western Producer staff REGINA, Sask. – Grain vacuums have graced farms for more than two decades, often in a love-hate relationship with farmers. They’ve earned their reputation as a handy supplement to the grain auger, but have been criticized for being too slow for hauling […] Read more

The Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute is studying hay maceration with a prototype machine. Maceration shreds stems of forage crops and presses the material into a thin mat, PAMI says. The mat is placed onto the cut stubble for natural air drying. It differs from traditional crop condition in several ways: The windrow is wider and […] Read more

Not all mould is fusarium The mould turning up on some spring combined grain in Alberta is not fusarium head blight or tombstone disease, says Leuan Evans, plant disease specialist with Alberta Agriculture. The moulds are mostly harmless fungi that can reduce the feed value of grain and make it less palatable to livestock, but […] Read more

Bin probe and garbage wagon G.O. Welding and Manufacturing has developed a new bin probe that provides a sample from inside the bin without the operator having to climb a ladder. The Easy Probe is 1.5 metres (60 inches) long and is tilted in the bin at a 45 degree angle, which means the end […] Read more

Milk monitoring system Alfa Laval Agri Inc. has introduced a portable take-off electronic milk monitoring system for tie-stall barns. The Advisor manages herd production by providing information such as milk yield, flow and time. It is designed to be accurate to within 10 percent of each animal’s daily production level It records milking time for […] Read more

Sand cracks Heredity and nutrition are often implicated as causes of sand cracks, which make cows lame and can lead to premature culling of stock. But Jim Armstrong, livestock agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Tisdale, suspects there may also be a strong link with selenium toxicity. “Selenium supplementation came to the front when research showed […] Read more

Post hole digger Worksaver has introduced a new post hole digger. The model 300 is compatible with most 14 to 24 horsepower tractors equipped with a category 0 three-point hitch and 540 r.p.m. power takeoff. It handles 30-inch augers with six, nine and 12-inch diameters and features a lever that allows the operator to adjust […] Read more

Strawberry and garlic exports? The Prairies might soon become a source of strawberry and garlic plants for California. Horticulturists from the University of Saskatchewan have found the total yield of Saskatchewan-grown strawberry plants, when planted in test plots at the University of California at Davis, increased by 11 to 19 percent. The early yields of […] Read more

Mower-conditioner New Holland has introduced a centre pivot-tongue mower-conditioner called the Discbine. The cutterbar, which is driven from both ends, features 10 small-diameter, modular disc cutting units for a 13-foot cut. The model 1431 has a cutting disc profile and crop lifters to give smooth crop flow to the conditioning rolls. The 102-inch chevron-design conditioner […] Read more

Controlling ground squirrels When it comes to controlling ground squirrels, the earlier the better. “Removing adult animals in early spring has the advantage of eliminating up to six times as many animals that otherwise would appear later in the year,” said John Bourne, pest prevention and management specialist with Alberta Agriculture. Poison baits are the […] Read more