We took the opportunity while at Canadian Western Agribition this year to find a different kind of farmer for our Talking to Farmers feature. It wasn't hard to round up enough cowfolk to cover some of the basics of showing cattle. And, between being asked to be filmed and starting the interview, many of the... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
While we may forever ask who has seen the wind (thanks, W.O. Mitchell!), now you can...sort of. John Gruber, a writer and blogger from Philadelphia, hosts DaringFireball.net, a science-y website for all things super cool. His latest post caught our attention, as not only is it pretty (see image above), it's actually rather facsincating. Monday's... Read More
Dow AgroSciences and John Deere have announced the companies will collaborate to "develop approaches and technology that will deliver data and provide information to farmers that will assist in the execution of site-specific applications to improve yields and manage costs." Specifically, Dow AgroSciences has signed on to leverage the MyJohnDeere platform and new cloud-based technologies... Read More
I'm no psychologist, psychiatrist or sociologist, but I understand from discussions with experts that as social creatures, humans are prone to experiencing "group mentality." Quite simply: we are easily influenced by the thoughts and actions of our associates. We also tend to associate with like-minded individuals, who reinforce our biases. It is my concern that... Read More
Each disease threat is unique. Some pathogens are carried on wind or insects, others live in the soil and some reside on crop residue. The expected pressure of a disease for next year is largely dependent on how a disease is spread — those that winter in the soil or on residue are the most... Read More
Change is constant. The year of 2013 has brought significant changes to the market conditions for feedyard operators and ranchers across Canada. Not only have prices for fats and feeders risen, but the Canadian Dollar and feed prices have dropped lower. When you add all this up it means that margins for producers are in... Read More
Let's face it, change is difficult. And change for the sake of avoiding a problem in the long-term can seem exceedingly cumbersome. If that sentence makes you think about managing for herbicide resistance, you're not alone. But no longer is this a "what if" for Canada — several types of weeds and several types of... Read More
Do you know the soybean cyst nematode levels in fields on your farm? If you're growing or plan on growing soybeans, you should be testing every field to determine the presence of this pest. After all, it's the number one pest of soybean in the world. Horst Bohner, soybean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of... Read More
Does bare, black earth harvest the sun? Nope. Unless there is a plant to intercept the sunlight, that beam of energy doesn't really do a thing for the soil and that needs to change, says Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Johnson, and many others at OMAF, are on... Read More
Inspired by the Masters of Beef Advocacy program offered in the United States, Canada's Beef Advocacy Program will be available to the public in the new year, and will be comprised of two levels. The first level will be for anyone with interest in the beef industry, providing information "right from genetics and breeding all... Read More