I've been thinking a lot about consumer awareness and needs, as the movement to "tell your [ag] story" continues to grow. I have concerns with some of the messages I've seen, and some I once felt compelled to give. I've heard again and again that consumers must be aware of where their food comes from.... Read More
Category: Eastern Canada
Ever since I was a kid, everything "futuristic", in books and TV pointed to automation as the pinnacle of what the future would hold. From the Jetsons and their automatic sidewalks and dishwashers to my personal favourite, the old "Science International - What Will They Think of Next" tv show, automation was the future of... Read More
Photo credit: Via Flickr, Paul Xymon Garcia, 2010 Thanks to automation and good management (and perhaps necessity), some producers can farm vast tracts of land themselves with minimal help. But not all farmers are so fortunate. Certain industries, fruit and vegetables for example, require an exceptional commitment to human resources – along with hard work... Read More
Just as energy requirements change as a cow moves through pregnancy, calving and lactation, so to do mineral requirements. The same can be said for a growing calf or yearling — the bottom line is, if you're tweaking a ration based on growth or energy requirements, the mineral type or level may need to change... Read More
It's important, when you're going about the business of farming that you really think about it not as a series of distinct and separate seasons, but as a series of interconnected processes. Not just in an obvious "seeding naturally leads to harvest" kind of route, it's more like, "how I set my machine at harvest... Read More
Prices are firm, feed costs are looking softer and there's plenty of green grass still late in the year. Let's call it a good place to be before the moving and shaking of the fall calf run. As Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, says in this edition of the Beef Market Update, fat cattle prices... Read More
Covering ground in a timely manner is only half the equation when planning your spray operation. Accuracy, coverage and limiting over-spray have a huge impact on product performance and cost effectiveness. So when it comes to choosing a sprayer and spraying technology, it's not wonder there are big options with truly high tech precision farming... Read More
The federal government has announced a commitment of $7 million under the Growing Forward 2 framework for the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance to lead a research cluster to help producers better compete in global markets. The funding will be matched with another $3.3 million by industry. The “Canadian Field Crop Genetics Improvement Cluster”, a... Read More
Across the country, youth are hard at work on their Canadian Young Speakers for Agriculture (CYSA) presentations….but there’s still time for others to enter this prestigious agricultural public-speaking event. This year’s competition takes place Saturday, November 2, 2013 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario. CYSA President Kimberly McCaw, says if you’re between... Read More
Is there a strong business case for another grain co-operative in Canada? Carl Casale thinks so, and as CEO of CHS, the largest co-operative in the United States, it's probably an opinion worth some weight. In this episode of the RealLeaders series, Kim McConnell, founder of AdFarm, sits down with Casale to discuss not just... Read More