Raven SmartBoom Raven Industries has released the SmartBoom automatic boom control system, which turns boom sections on or off, reducing costly spraying errors such as skips and overlaps. The SmartBoom provides a plug and play complement to the Raven SCS rate controller line. The system is self-contained, eliminating the need to use an Envizio Plus […] Read more
Production
New Products
New kid on ethanol block
Researchers have found a western Canadian crop that could rival corn as the most economical North American feedstock for producing ethanol. “We believe there is very strong potential for triticale,” said Francois Eudes, biotechnologist with Agriculture Canada. Corn is currently king of the North American ethanol industry, the primary feedstock ingredient in all but nine […] Read more
Fine tuned feed rates boost profits
WINNIPEG – Two trends are working against each other for hog barn operators. At the same time that producers strive to fine tune their feeding programs, they are finding it difficult to find the labour they need to maintain such a plan. The problem isn’t unique to the Prairies. It’s much the same around the […] Read more
System answers questions before farmers raise them
BRANDON – Leo Kosokowsky’s business is based on a simple principle: you don’t know what you don’t know. The founder of AgMpower, an information management system for farmers, said producers often don’t deal with an issue because they don’t know they have a problem. “At the same time, they may concentrate their efforts on areas […] Read more
Farmer invents combine cover
BRANDON – It’s often said that some of the most innovative implement improvements come from farmers. That might be the situation with the Harvest Pro-Tech plastic combine cover from Michel’s Industries. Brad Michel’s family farms 4,500 acres at St. Gregor, Sask. He explained how his family came up with the idea for an electric combine […] Read more
Clear hubs shorten service time for Quadtrac
BRANDON – The Case IH Quadtrac has 10 hubs running in oil at each corner, meaning there are 40 fill plugs that need to face straight up every time you want to check lube levels. Brian Isaac of Leabank Ventures in Rosenort, Man., thinks his company has devised a quick solution for this time-consuming chore. […] Read more
Watch for these pulse crop disease threats
MEDICINE HAT – Farmers will need to be on guard against several pulse crop diseases this year, says an Alberta Agriculture plant pathologist. Ron Howard said Canadian pulse crop disease threats for this year include anthracnose on lentils and dry beans, Stemphylium blight on lentils and bacterial wilt in beans and peas. External pulse crop […] Read more
Patent acquired for new drought-fighting technology
Canadian researchers have been issued an American patent on a process that allows plants to protect themselves against drought. Isolated nucleic acid encoding farnesyl transferase alpha, or FTA, is one of two signaling genes that Performance Plants has identified as playing a role in a plant’s ability to withstand drought conditions. The other gene, FTB, […] Read more
Seeding: to till or not to till is the question – Organic Matters
Decisions about spring tillage are always matters of compromise. Tillage accomplishes a number of beneficial goals in weed control and seed bed preparation. It also uses time, energy and water and has the potential to reduce soil quality. Jennifer Bromm interviewed many organic farmers in Saskatchewan about their tillage practices. She found that judicious spring […] Read more
Container puts grain on fast track
BRANDON – It takes 93 days for a bulk volume grain shipment to reach China from the centre of Canada, says Bob Hooper, inventor of the hopper container designed for the agricultural industry. Grain shipped by intermodal container, on the other hand, reaches China in just 21 days. “A single intermodal container can actually make […] Read more
