INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A new technology that allows scientists to precisely add, delete or edit genes will speed up delivery of new crop traits to farmers, says the company that owns it. Dow AgroScience’s ExZact Precision Technology uses zinc-finger proteins to modify a DNA sequence in a plant genome exactly where scientists want it to […] Read more
Tag Archives Technology
New technology promises faster trait development
Competition prepares students for real world
As far as Terry Fonstad is concerned, his team has already won Lord Stanley’s coveted trophy.His Stanley Cup equivalent is the pinnacle of competition in university agricultural engineering: The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers one-quarter-scale tractor, student design competition, held annually in Peoria, Illinois.His franchise is the University of Saskatchewan Sled Dog scale […] Read more
Self-propelled sprayer a first for Versatile
ORLANDO, Florida – Versatile has moved closer to becoming a full-line agricultural equipment manufacturer. It has acquired Red Ball, a Minnesota company that got into financial difficulty last year. In the deal, Versatile gets its first self-propelled sprayer, the SX275. Retailing for $239,000 US, the sprayer ditched the Red Ball 7830’s John Deere engine in […] Read more
Wind turbine noise poses no health risks: study
The sound from wind turbines has no negative impact on people, says a worldwide, peer reviewed review of literature on the health effects of wind turbines. The American and Canadian Wind Energy Association established a panel to review the current literature after concerns about sound from wind turbines and their adverse health consequences. The panel […] Read more
Yes, it’s in the ground, but it doesn’t stay there
There is a lot that scientists don’t know about ground water. In Alberta, much of the ground water information that scientists rely on comes from the Alberta Research Council’s (ARC) mapping programs of the 1960s and 1970s. “We really haven’t moved that far from the ’60s,” said Alec Blyth, a research hydrogeologist with the council’s […] Read more
Biofuel may have bad rap as water user
Biofuel production is having a profound impact on water demand, according to a United Nations report. “Despite their potential to help reduce dependence on fossil energy, biofuels with current technology are likely to place a disproportionate amount of pressure on biodiversity and the environment,” says the UN’s World Water Development Report 3. “The major problem […] Read more
Effluent water proves useful for farm irrigation
Rick Swenson doesn’t turn off his irrigation pivot when the wind blows and the temperature soars. He cranks it up and keeps the water pumping. He’s irrigating his crops and acting as a disposal system for the City of Moose Jaw’s waste water treatment facilities. “There’s no drip nozzles around here,” the Saskatchewan farmer said. […] Read more
Managing water that falls from the sky
Cloud seeding is a growing industry around the world, aimed at harvesting rain and snow. In Canada, however, the emphasis has been more on softening the blow inflicted by hailstorms. Cloud seeding is a way of modifying weather by attempting to draw more moisture out of rain clouds, or change the precipitation that falls. It […] Read more
Measuring tools: probes, meters and pillows
It’s easy to look out the window and conclude that four inches of snow fell overnight, but accurately measuring snow depth is challenging, says Alf Warkentin, director of flood forecasting for Manitoba Water Stewardship. “It’s never as accurate as we’d like it to be. The snow is very difficult to measure.… You can do a […] Read more
Gardiner dam tops the list
Spring thaw isn’t on the minds of most Canadians yet, but water forecasters have been thinking about melting snow for months. “Nov. 1 is called the start of the new water year because basically any precipitation that falls, for the most part, from (November) on in is going to be snow and won’t show up […] Read more
