Highline Manufacturing has introduced a roadside mower that keeps municipalities out of the ditch. “We went out to look at a concept mower created by a fellow at St. Brieux, (Sask.,)” said Blake Neudorf, who heads Highline’s research and design team. “We opened the shed door and knew we had to develop the idea. It […] Read more
Production
Mower keeps driver out of ditch
Seeder makes overlap a thing of the past
For Monty Shivak, it was the kind of problem that could make a guy swear. “A mile of field left to seed, just 44 feet wide, when he’s got a 60 to 80 foot seeder, doubling up on all that seed and fertilizer.” Pat Beaujot thought so, too. As it turned out, the president of […] Read more
Thirsty crops text message farmers
Thanks to a computerized monitoring system, farmers can rest easier knowing that their irrigated crops will be able to let them know via text message when they’re thirsty. The system uses battery-operated infrared thermometers placed in irrigated fields. The thermometers monitor leaf temperatures and relay the data to a computerized base station. The base station […] Read more
Organic research explores phosphorus questions – Organic Matters
Soil on organic farms is often deficient in available phosphorus. Is this a serious problem, or are low levels simply a reflection of the way we measure the nutrient? Cathy Welsh, a recent masters of science graduate from the University of Manitoba’s soil sciences department researched this question. Working with Mario Tenuta, Welsh studied the […] Read more
New Products
Six-door truck A six-door pick-up truck conversion from the Stretch Truck Co. in Denver has expanded the definition of stretch cab by 50 percent. The conversion, based on a truck supplied by the customer, adds about 500 pounds to the truck. Most of that weight is the frame extension. While it looks like something wealthy […] Read more
Sulfate shortage remedied with late season top dressing
Not since the spring of 1998 has ammonium sulfate been in such short supply, and the problem has left canola producers with hard choices. If they haven’t planted their canola yet, should they do so without the usual seed row or sidebanded sulfur application? If they have planted already and shifted to elemental product, what […] Read more
Get top performance from your tires
Parts of the Prairies are wet this spring while others are dry. In other words, it’s a typical prairie spring. How do these extreme wet or dry conditions affect the way farmers make their tractor tire adjustments? Reed Turner, a recently retired engineer with the AgTech Centre in Lethbridge, says making adjustments for optimal tire […] Read more
Centre wheels on machinery to avoid road lope
The Firestone Farm near Akron, Ohio, tests agricultural tires – not only its own Bridgestone and Firestone ag tires but also tires from the competition. In one of the company’s test labs resides a giant wheel-tire assembly spinner. While it appears similar to a tire shop’s digital balancer, it doesn’t perform that job. It measures […] Read more
Aussie Bullet designed to seed with speed
Efficiency is a matter of survival in modern farming. To get the crop in before the optimum seeding window slams shut, many operators have embraced massive equipment that allows them to cover hundreds of acres in hours. That’s fine for farmers with large, square empty fields but for those with potholes and bush to steer […] Read more
Wash clubroot problems away
LEDUC, Alta. – As manager of agricultural services with Leduc County, Curtis Henkelmann has seen first-hand the devastation clubroot can cause once a field becomes infected. Instead of thick, strong stands of canola, the field will contain plants that look wilted, yellow and stunted. What initially looks like a 50 bushel canola crop becomes 10 […] Read more
