Western Producer reporter Ron Lyseng offers his personal insights after testing a new electric log splitter. BIRDS HILL, Man. – Electric log splitters have been around for decades, usually thought of as toys. I had never tried one until last week. When I have a lot of logs to split, I generally rent a gasoline […] Read more
Production
Electric splitter eager to take on a challenge
New Products
Parallel link disc drill Great Plains has introduced three drills, at 15, 20 and 25 foot widths. All feature a 2.4-bushel-per-foot seed box. The 10HD drill openers have 11 inches of vertical travel via a parallel linkage assembly. Heavy-duty down-pressure springs offer six different settings for down-force pressures, ranging from 250 to 500 pounds per […] Read more
Door design provides clear sailing
MORTLACH, Sask. – When Philip Simrose built his shop in 2003, he wanted to be able to drive in the door with the header still on his combine. “I wanted to make it accessible to the different machines I have. I figure if you’ve got a shop, you should be able to take the equipment […] Read more
Modified rotor eases hemp harvest
CRAIK, Sask. – Veteran hemp growers know the crop can be a harvest nightmare. Using a Case IH combine without a Harvest Services 360 degree rotor can make for long, trouble-filled days in the hemp field. John Ackland has been growing hemp on his farm near Craik for a number of years. “We have a […] Read more
Tire ballast makes flowers bloom
FARGO, N.D. – There’s a sticky, yet refreshing innovation in liquid tire ballast. Rim Guard is an organic liquid ballast formulated with desugared molasses left over from processing sugar beets. And it is sticky. For half a century, calcium chloride has been the only viable liquid ballast for tractor tires in northern climates. It was […] Read more
Sulfur deficiencies chip away at profits
Sulfur use is becoming more common as deficiencies increase in many areas. The most common forms of sulfur used in fertilizer are elemental sulfur and SO4. Thiosulfate forms of sulfur are also commonly available in many regions. Sulfur plays two important roles in agriculture: as an essential nutrient required for proteins and enzymes and as […] Read more
Suppress road dust
A Manitoba company has found a more environmentally friendly replacement for a common dust suppressant. Many farmers use calcium chloride to control dust on roads and farmyards during dry summers, but Norm Burns, president of Cypher Ltd. in Winnipeg, is concerned about how it can affect the environment. His company has developed Dust Stop, which […] Read more
Opportunities in bioplastic look promising
LETHBRIDGE – The food versus biofuel debate should be expanded to include bioplastic, according to an Alberta government official. Ed Phillipchuk of Alberta Agriculture’s bio-industrial development branch describes bioplastic as plastic manufactured from biopolymers, which are small chemical units called monomers. “Bioplastics aren’t necessarily biodegradable. I think this is important because some people use these […] Read more
New Product
Drive over gate The New REM Push ‘N’ Drive Over gate is made for acreages, farms and ranches. By eliminating the need to dismount to open a gate, it provides convenient entry to any area. Available in six, 14 and 16 foot widths, it has a powder coat finish in standard yellow with optional green […] Read more
Base nitrogen use on unfertilized yields
Springfield, Ill. – Making nitrogen recommendations from a soil test is often more art than science. In Western Canada, recommendations are based on available soil nitrogen, nitrogen release by the soil and the amount of nitrogen required to grow a target yield of a specific crop. In parts of the U.S. corn belt, researchers are […] Read more
