Production — page 175

Huggable investment Evelyn and Rick Derksen bought a pair of alpacas for $30,000 in 1990. They consider the purchase the best investment they’ve ever made. “Our only regret is that we didn’t do it sooner,” says Evelyn, who now tends 12 alpacas on their 40 acres south of Saskatoon. Alpacas, native to South America and […] Read more

New cleaner Farmstead Products of Hinckley, Minn. has introduced an improved version of its seed and grain cleaner. The 150HD is capable of cleaning any grain type to seed quality at up to 150 bushels an hour. Higher capacities are possible when cleaning grain for storage or sale and larger versions are also available. The […] Read more

Showcase your product An effective display is an important tool when showcasing products at trade or craft shows, farmers markets and breed association meetings. “Displays should be designed to attract attention and stop traffic,” says Marian Williams, business development specialist with Alberta Agriculture. “Knowing your customer is a necessity. Whether it’s being used at the […] Read more

Hog feeder Koenders Manufacturing Co. of Englefeld, Sask. has introduced a feeder specially designed for hog barns. The Hog-o-matic is made with lightweight polyethylene. The units are designed for easy, quick installation and can be mounted back-to-back, allowing one downspout with a deflector to fill two feeders. The feed flow is adjustable by hand. The […] Read more

Crop rotation lesson Many Alberta wheat fields suffered from a root rot called take-all last summer, highlighting the complexity of designing crop rotations, said Ron Hockridge, crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture. For many, the disease level was low. However, there were places in the Wetaskiwin-Leduc-Ponoka area where wheat yields were reduced by more than half. […] Read more

Canola web site The Canola Council of Canada has introduced a worldwide web site that includes the council’s growers manual on-line. The site is located at http://www.canola-council.org. It contains the entire text and graphics of the printed manual. It has a current listing of all new varieties and canola chemical use labels. It also contains […] Read more

Improving fertilizer economics Research scientists from Agriculture Canada and the University of Saskatchewan have confirmed that precision farming with variable rate application of nitrogen can improve the economics of fertilizer use. These findings came from a three-year study by Hugh Beckie of the Saskatoon Research Centre, in co-operation with Alan Moulin of the Brandon Research […] Read more

Digging fence holes Shaver Manufacturing has recently introduced a new PTO-driven post-hole digger. The model 101 is designed for lawn and garden tractors with category zero and one three-point hitches. It features semi-double flight augers of four, six and nine inches in diameter. Nine and 14-inch bolt-on extensions are available. Shaver also offers an optional […] Read more

Wide-row spacings risky Many producers prefer 12-inch row spacing to lower the capital and operating costs of their seed drill. To determine if row spacing affects yield, Brian McConkey and Perry Miller, researchers at the Agriculture Canada Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre at Swift Current, Sask., are testing a narrow seed spread on a 12-inch […] Read more

Chisel plow Flexi-Coil has introduced a new chisel plow. The 340 tillage unit replaces the 300 model, but maintains its predecessor’s single cylinder depth control, four by four by one quarter inch wall tubing and solid hitch. New features include a simplified mechanical lift system, over centering wings so no manual lock-up is required and […] Read more