We'll start this week's column on a somber note, because this is serious — yesterday it was announced that the first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has been confirmed on a hog farm in Middlesex county in the southwest corner of Ontario. The details are still preliminary, but this deadly virus appears to have... Read More
Category: Features
The only data that's useful is data you can...well...use. On the farm, that means data that can translate into a decision, without the use of an interpreter, quickly and efficiently. Many companies currently offer all kinds of data collection services for your operation. The real question is, how will that impact what you do tomorrow?... Read More
The last Ford I owned outright – and lived to tell the tale — was a 1972 Pinto. To me, at the time, it was a beauty, silver-grey with a thick black stripe along the rocker panels. I thought it was cool, but, in truth, I was an idiot to drive it. I was lucky... Read More
What's the best call for adding potash? How much bang for your buck do you get from seed-placed blends? Are protected N sources worth the cost? Greg Stewart, corn specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, recently presented the top 10 corn production tips from 10 years of research and monitoring, and some... Read More
Explosive. It's the only way to describe beef cash prices out of the U.S. this January. Sure, yes, there was optimism about what 2014 would bring, but no one could have expected this giant jump in prices as the market resumed after the holidays. Need production info? Click here to see all 30 episodes of... Read More
If you've got a GPS-equipped yield monitor in your combine, I have good news. You're already well on your way to developing a practical precision farming plan for your farm. Well of course I am, you say. But, if we're all being very honest here, what do you actually do with that yield map beyond... Read More
An unattractive basis is meant to discourage grain sales, but what happens when farmers are willing to sell even then (cash is getting tight, y'all) but bids disappear entirely? Then you have the grain marketing mess that is early 2014. Hear more: Check out all our coverage from CropSphere 2014 Chuck Penner (@LeftFieldCR), with LeftField... Read More
When farmers aren’t busy farming, it turns out they’re busy lobbying the government with ideas, strategies and suggestions to keep farming vibrant. A new members’ survey by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the province’s largest general farm group, shows many farmers are dedicating time to contacting representatives at all three levels – municipal, provincial and... Read More
It's been described as a stethoscope for your air-seeder and that's actually a fairly accurate analogy for how Intelligent Agricultural Solution's Wireless Blockage and Flow Monitoring System works. The product monitors the openers on your drill with an acoustic-based system to not only detect blockages and reduced flow rates but also give you a broad... Read More
Yes, compaction happens. You know that, I know that. But we in Canada are ever so fortunate because while compaction does happen, Mother Nature, at her cruelest -30 degree C self, actually helps us battle it with our wicked Prairie freeze-thaw cycle. Right? Well, yes, but a more resounding no, actually. Marla Riekman, land management... Read More