There are those who would rather not put extra funding towards varietal research, but to Steve Tomtene, a Saskatchewan-based farmer, the return on research and development is entirely worth the investment. "Our farm started back in the late sixties," Tomtene explains in an interview with Shaun Haney, "and I think when we look back over... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
A sound weed control program for IP soybeans takes planning. From pre-emerge options, to managing the weed spectrum, to proper follow up scouting and evaluation, a well-planned weed control strategy is effective at keeping fields as weed-free as possible. But things don’t always go exactly according to plan, do they? As Melody Robinson and Aaron... Read More
The newly-minted provincial agriculture minister for Ontario, Jeff Leal, has not changed policy or regulation on neonicotinoid seed treatments. Let's get that out of the way right now. Will the government soon step in, requiring more paper work, perhaps a licensing systems and more monitoring or rules around the use of neonics on corn and... Read More
By now, you’ve likely heard about or seen an 'undercover' video that shows terrible abuse of dairy cows on a farm in British Columbia. In the disturbing video, cows are kicked, caned or beaten up simply because they were weaker than the young workers. After that video release, dairy farmers across the country did something... Read More
Do you ever wonder where equipment manufacturers get their great new ideas? While some will get inspiration from their own on-the-farm experiences, some new innovations are dreamed up on paper long before they ever hit the field. Still other manufacturers use a collaborative approach, seeking out feedback from their customers and problem solving for them.... Read More
What limits yield on your farm? Too much water? Not enough? Low soil nutrient levels? Not enough heat? At least one scientist will tell you it's none of the above — the most limiting factor for crop production in North America is actually soil carbon. "Our soils are starved for carbon," says Kristine Nichols, a... Read More
The importance of good spray coverage is emphasized in all kinds of agricultural publications, including product labels. But, according to Tom Wolf, spray application specialist with AgriMetrix Research and Training in this episode of Spray Tips, "the labels are remarkably silent on what good coverage actually is and how you can actually measure it." Wolf... Read More
A conundrum. A quagmire. An imbroglio. Quite simply put, we’re in a bit of a predicament between some very wet conditions creating production concerns in Western Canada and the northern U.S. states, but also because the market it chewing through a neutral-to-bearish report from Statistics Canada on Friday, June 27th and a surprising USDA report... Read More
Who’d have thought drivers on public roads would ever be warned to beware of faster farm vehicles? Not me. Traditionally, people have moaned about getting stuck behind slow-moving farm gear, prompting the ag sector to plead for patience and try explaining it’s just doing its job, getting from one farm, or from one part of... Read More
It's a refrain you can't really ever tire of if you're a cattle producer — cattle prices are up across the board, with no immediate end in sight. That's not to say there isn't downside risk in this bull market (pardon the pun), but supply, demand, export markets and more are all colliding to support... Read More