Body condition scoring (BCS) is not a new tool to the livestock industry, by any stretch, but like so many other management indicators, it continues to evolve. In the last decade, researchers have learned that cows have a genetically determined "set point," something they refer to as "Target BCS." According to research conducted in 2007... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, examines everything from weather impacts to phosphorous management. And yes, you do have some homework this week. Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at peter.johnson@bell.net. Highlights: 01:00 Flooding in Ontario. Erosion, erosion, erosion. 01:57 Red... Read More
Fifteen years ago, University of Guelph’s Dr. Clarence Swanton helped revolutionize weed control with his pioneering research on the critical weed-free period for soybeans and corn. Essentially, Swanton helped usher in the thinking that weeds that emerge with or shortly after the crop cause irreversible yield loss. He defined the critical weed-free period as 1st... Read More
The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board has reached a deal to buy 40 percent of Glencore's agricultural business, which includes Viterra, for US$2.5 billion. "We are pleased to be partnering with CPPIB as we embark on the next stage of the development of Glencore Agri," said Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg in a statement early Wednesday... Read More
Flax could have an important role in improving reproductive performance in dairy cattle. Research studies looking at including flax oil in dairy rations in Alberta, BC and Oregon showed "mixed results, but in all three studies we found reductions in pregnancy losses," explains Divakar Ambrose in the interview below. Ambrose, a dairy research scientist with... Read More
John Deere wins at the Agritechnica's 2015 Innovation Awards had RealAgriculture representatives hopping in Hanover, Germany in November. You've already seen footage from their ProCut technology and their GoHarvest combine simulation system. In this episode of the TechTour, we move over to forage production, and Deere's "Active Fill Control Sync" (AFC Sync). Don't Miss Out:... Read More
While I tend to be pretty hard on companies and organizations that use fear-marketing to get a product off the shelf, I probably don’t give enough credit to those that market positively. McDonalds' plan to source Verified Sustainable Beef is one I’ve got some hope for. Their Vice-President of Sustainability says in a video “We... Read More
Editor's note: The Canadian verticillium stakeholders committee has decided to call the disease caused by Verticillium longisporum "verticillium stripe" instead of "verticillium wilt." This story has been updated to reflect the new terminology. The canola industry is in the early stages of understanding what it's up against with a new fungal disease. Verticillium stripe (previously... Read More
High fives all around for DuPont Pioneer. The newly minted global Access to Seeds Index — a measure of how leading seed companies are contributing to global food security — has named DuPont Pioneer the world’s best firm for trying to improve smallholder farmer productivity. Syngenta deserves kudos too; it isn’t far behind. In fact,... Read More
How would you rank your listening skills? Do you try to understand the content, or are you just biding your time, antsy to pitch in with your own thoughts? Listening more effectively is just one tool Ginette Gamache, facilitator and coach at Reframe Leadership, discussed with Farmtech delegates in January, in her session on relationship... Read More