A growing chorus of North American commodity groups is calling on Europe to soften its zero tolerance stance on the presence of unapproved GM crops in grain shipments. GM contamination cases are occurring more regularly as European labs develop more precise tools for detecting unwanted GM crop material. The latest incident has disrupted Canadian flax […] Read more
Tag Archives Technology
EU urged to drop zero GM tolerance
Google Earth goes farming
BRANDON – Imagine a digital toolbox with Google Earth maps of your field, satellite images along with high resolution aerial photos, all existing maps and field data, plus real time GPS for scouting. All rubber-sheeted and geo-referenced. Sound expensive? Actually, much of it is free for those who know where to click. Simon Knutson, owner […] Read more
Wind energy dominates net metering projects
Harnessing the wind is becoming a more popular pursuit among rural landowners in Saskatchewan. Officials from SaskPower say more than 166 Saskatchewan residents have applied to take part in SaskPower’s net metering program. Of those, about 145 have installed wind turbines. The net metering program allows Saskatchewan residents to install their own electrical generating systems. […] Read more
Greyhound threatens halt to rural service
Farmers and seniors could be hit hard if Greyhound Lines pulls out of rural Manitoba, rural representatives say. Greyhound Canada has announced it plans to cut all of its passenger service in rural Manitoba and northwestern Ontario Oct. 2 if it doesn’t receive millions of dollars in subsidies to keep operating money-losing routes. However, the […] Read more
Rural internet plan seeks investors
Alberta rural municipal leader Don Johnson sounded elated when told of the news that the federal government is ready to start spending promised money on an expanding rural internet service. “This is very positive,” he said from his southern Alberta farm Sept. 3 during a break from combining. “We’ve been waiting for this for some […] Read more
New Products – Torqued up sprayer
Miller St. Nazianz has increased the ability of its 4000 series sprayers to handle tough terrain and large fluid loads. The new 4215HT and 4240HT models are better able to handle hills and soft fields than their Miller predecessors. The company kept its standard 4215 but dropped the straight 4240 from its lineup. To achieve […] Read more
Grasshoppers’ late debut a harvest headache
Grasshoppers are causing concern for farmers this fall but not in the usual way. Although the insects are damaging late crops still in the field, their presence in harvested crops is the big problem. Grant McLean of Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Knowledge Centre said reports are coming in from farmers, particularly pea growers, who say they are […] Read more
Why internet in cab?
People often buy into emerging technology just for the sake of having the latest gadgets. Text messaging teenagers are a prime example. Does high-speed internet in the tractor, sprayer or combine cab fall into the same category, or is it a genuine tool that can help your bottom line? Rob Saik has been hoping for […] Read more
Ironwork goes from practical to pretty
The sounds of hammer on molten metal are unfamiliar to the modern generation. Master blacksmith Adrian Legge of Herefordshire, England, was recently demonstrating skills and chatting about his techniques while moulding hot iron with Saskatoon’s blacksmith club members. The visit was Legge’s last stop in a two-week visit to Saskatchewan, which included a stay at […] Read more
High speed internet, RTK in your cab
Until now, the cost of setting up a survey-grade RTK network was $30 to $50 per section of land. A new Alberta company is dropping that cost to $2 to $3 per section. For $2,000, producers can add a digital cellular modem to their existing GPS and receive survey-grade RTK along with interactive high-speed internet […] Read more
