Increasingly, researchers in the American Midwest are learning to work with organic systems. Several organic researchers gathering this summer in Dickinson, North Dakota, to report on findings at the First Organic Field Day held by North Dakota State University. The field day and conference was led by Pat Carr, agronomist at NDSU. Despite the rainy […] Read more
Tag Archives Technology
Organic research blossoms south of the border – Organic Matters
Kiwi openers debut on Prairies
The Baker Cross Slot opener is a radical New Zealand design that a handful of researchers and a few daring North American farmers have tried. One of the pioneers is Cliff Merchant, a farmer from Falher, Alta., who bought 37 Cross Slots and installed them on a used Flexi-Coil 6000 toolbar bought for the purpose. […] Read more
Opener does good job putting humidity to work
Water typically comes to mind when most of us think about moisture conservation. Agronomists, however, think in terms of humidity. “Wheat seeds get most of the moisture they need for germination from humidity, not from soil moisture,” says Roger Ashley, an agronomist at the North Dakota Research Farm in Dickinson, N.D. When he imported nine […] Read more
Alpaca fibre sales down
The recession has been tough on the alpaca business. Rita Friesen, who raises alpacas near Saskatoon with her husband, Cam, on their CaRia Royalty Ranch, said profits are down from previous years because fewer people are buying their breeding stock and fibre products. Producer Deryl Ring of Ring Ranch Alpacas near Saskatoon agreed, but thinks […] Read more
Deere reduces production as demand likely to drop
CHICAGO, Ill. (Reuters) – Deere & Co., the world’s largest maker of farm equipment, says it will record a non-cash charge of about $300 million US in its fourth quarter related to its landscapes unit. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the goodwill impairment charge reflects the “decline […] Read more
Palestinian farmers want peace
QABATIYA, West Bank, (Reuters) – The olive branch is a symbol of peace in the Middle East, but for Yusuf Sabaani, the thousands of tiny olive seedlings he has just planted are a more tangible image of his dream for the future of his children. Yet, like Palestinian farmers across the West Bank, he knows […] Read more
Stacked traits lack assessment – Opinion
Sharratt is the co-ordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network based in Ottawa. Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences are calling their new SmartStax corn a “game-changing” technology. How so? Is it the increased prices they will eventually charge for a corn with eight genetically engineered traits? Is it the 75 percent reduction in refuge area that […] Read more
Electronic tags mandatory soon
All Canadian cattle leaving the farm will require electronic identification tags after Jan. 1, 2010, a requirement designed to help move the beef industry toward full traceability. Plastic dangle tags with a barcode and unique number have not been for sale for several years, said Canadian Cattle Identification Agency chair Steve Primrose. They were replaced […] Read more
U of A gateway to vet college
Students looking for a way to enroll in veterinary school may only have to look as far as the University of Alberta. Fourteen of the 20 first year spaces reserved for Alberta residents at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon are filled with students from the U of A’s Faculty of Agriculture, Life […] Read more
Genes reveal secrets to flavour
VICTORIA – Scientists studying how genes work within grapevines may turn the age-old craft of wine-making on its head. The University of British Columbia’s Wine Research Centre is leading a $3.4 million study into grape and wine genomics. Led by UBC viticulture professor Steven Lund, the project will use genomics to identify protein biomarkers in […] Read more
