If agriculture is going to work towards providing quality food for informed consumers, we can't be throwing each production system under the bus. Conventional agriculture needs to respect organic production as a valid production system (and a valid consumer choice), and organic producers need to stop vilifying conventional production and using misleading and down-right false... Read More
Category: Features
Contrary to what it looks like outside my window right now, it is officially spring. Eventually the snow will recede and the warmth will return and the ice and frost will disappear just long enough to eek out another crop from the prairie soil (apparently I wax poetic after 5 full months of winter). When... Read More
After running through your sprayer's routine maintenance, it's time to assess the suitability of its nozzles for upcoming applications, and, let's face it, that decision can be pretty complicated. Besides the typical competition between manufacturers, you also have to consider spray quality. Do you want coarse droplets? Fine droplets? Air induction nozzles? Twin-fan nozzles? How... Read More
With the 2014 growing season fast approaching (we hope) you are probably wrapping up your seeding and input plans and getting antsy to get into the field. As cropping plans start to fall into place, the logical next step for many is to decide on which products or practices to test out to measure their... Read More
Editor’s note: This is the second edition of a new weekly markets column authored by Brennan Turner, founder of FarmLead. Check out www.FarmLead.com for more, and find Brennan on Twitter as @FarmLead. The second week of March saw some wild price swing as the market focused on Monday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE)... Read More
What shape is your farm record keeping system in? Do you write things into a journal? Do you write your records on a sheet of paper and then watch it blow around the truck all summer and possibly out the window as you drive down the highways at 120 km/h. There are other options. Get... Read More
By Bernard Tobin Satellites and smart phones are poised to deliver a new level of biosecurity that could keep farmers one step ahead of disease. As Canadian pork producers struggle to contain the spread of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) on their farms, a new company, Be Seen Be Safe, is rolling out a satellite-based... Read More
No longer just a concept, Google Glass is moving ever closer to a face near you. This very hands-free but completely web-connected device has moved from theory to real-life-testing in an incredibly short period of time. But what can Google Glass do, and, more importantly, will you look ridiculous wearing them? See more: Click here... Read More
Editor's note: This is the first edition of a new weekly markets column authored by Brennan Turner, founder of FarmLead. Check out www.FarmLead.com for more, and find Brennan on Twitter as @FarmLead. Grains in the first week of March were fairly volatile thanks to the situation in Ukraine standing on a razor’s edge. The market... Read More
Editor's note: This is the second part of a series called Gaining Ground. Written by Rob Wallbridge, Gaining Ground is focused on cultural management practices applicable for any production system, with a heavy emphasis on soil management. See the first article in the series here. What if I told you there were monsters on your... Read More