Greg Menzies knows what he wants at seeding time. “Our ultimate aim is to seed 50 acres an hour, 24 hours a day, and get precision depth control for the best possible emergence,” said the new owner of Wigmore Farms near Grand Coulee, Sask. “We very consciously push the envelope on technology. Wigmore Farms has […] Read more
Production
84-foot drill seeds 50 acres per hour
How to design an 84-foot drill
Taking the big step from a 65-foot drill to an 84-foot drill is not as easy as beefing up the smaller unit. Seed Hawk owner Pat Beaujot said it’s an entirely new challenge. “The trend is toward bigger drills, up toward 100 feet. That’s obvious,” Beaujot said. “But right now, 84 feet is as big […] Read more
Manganese affected by glyphosate
SASKATOON – Farmers applying manganese micronutrient treatments should ensure they apply it after a glyphosate application. Manganese applied before glyphosate can be immobilized in the plant. Don Huber, professor emeritus of plant pathology at Purdue University in Indiana, said there have been reports for 20 years about an increase in the cereal disease take-all in […] Read more
Common terminology for nutrient deficiencies
It’s relatively easy to check for disease and insect damage and inadequate soil moisture but nutrient deficiencies can be more difficult to diagnose. Robert L. Mikkelsen, western director of the International Plant Nutrition Institute, says a quick review of terminology will help farmers know what to look for and how to describe what they find […] Read more
Farm-built brake is versatile shop tool
MAPLE CREEK, Sask. – A homemade 100 ton brake is an integral part of Skyline Farms. The father and son team of Ken and Jason Sawby farm together in southwestern Saskatchewan and operate a custom manufacturing business called High Desert Enterprises out of the shop. The main beams for the brake were taken from an […] Read more
Weed school helps ID seedlings
CARMAN, Man. – Correctly identifying weeds starts when plants are young. It may seem like a simple task, but making an error at this point can result in wrong herbicide selection and little or no control of the weed, said Kim Brown-Livingston, chief instructor at the 23rd annual Weed Seedling ID Day held May 23 […] Read more
Prevention, chemicals control saskatoon disease
Protecting saskatoon berries’ bloom stage from infection by plant pathogens is an important part of maintaining top production potential. Philip Northover, a pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, said “protect the flowers from rain showers” is a simple way to sum up saskatoon berry disease management. Practices that reduce surface wetness from rain will also lessen disease […] Read more
Saskatoon berries get disease model
NISKU, Alta. – A new plant growth modelling system developed in Manitoba is helping saskatoon berry growers control disease and predict harvest dates. Quinn Holtslag, an instructor in the green space management program at Red River College in Winnipeg, recently completed a PhD on disease forecasting in saskatoons at the University of Manitoba. In 2006, […] Read more
Cosmetics company interested in lupins
Three years of crop research trials have proven that lupins are a viable alternative for Alberta farmers. The crop has also caught the attention of Ceapro, a personal care company from Edmonton. “Lupin is a crop that fixes its own nitrogen,” said Mark Olson, provincial pulse specialist with Alberta Agriculture. “Nitrogen is by far the […] Read more
German trip unveils virtues of wind power
Two instructors from Assiniboine Community College recently returned from a whirlwind five-week wind power training program in Germany, one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy. “We spent well over a week travelling all around the country with service technicians from various areas working on windmills,” said Dietrich Schellenberg, a farm equipment instructor at ACC. […] Read more
