Some people used to think farmers only could grow crops for food. Today, though, some think farmers only should grow crops for food. It’s a great debate, with, I suspect, the answer somewhere in the middle. Philosophical, theoretical, economic and even spiritual debates rage about farmers’ role in feeding the world versus growing crops for... Read More
Category: Features
"If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." While this business principle seems to apply more to hard numbers and bushels per acre, it applies just as perfectly to rangeland production. Beyond just grass tonnage or pounds of growth per acre, there are several other outputs of rangeland production that should be assessed, measured... Read More
This blog post is one I was hoping not to have to write. In Canada, there was recently an “investigative report” on the commercial egg industry. It developed after an animal activist group took undercover footage and passed an edited video to a television newsmagazine. The resulting 30 minute show was a black eye to... Read More
Technology has won me a lot of opportunities in life, so don’t act surprised to hear I’m excited about the recent availability of Blackberry Messenger (BBM) to our Apple/Android traitors, I mean, friends. Here are three meager reasons I think you should give the program a try: Groups. Since our farm slowly moved towards the... Read More
Whenever the holiday falls on a Monday, the rest of the week feels a little off. Case in point, I thought Thursday was Friday even though it was a short week and started this "last day of the work week" column a day early. What gives? Anywho, as the RealAgriculture team struggled into their post-turkey... Read More
Who can complain about $1,000 calves, lower feed prices and actual positive feeding margins? Well maybe cash croppers..... It is starting to look like it is the beef producers turn to make some money in this economic tug-of-war. But wait, there are some issues standing in the way of profits and smooth sailing. As Anne... Read More
Research is often seen as an investment in new technology development, in whirring instruments or the roar of equipment. That might make it easy to forget that new technology results from new knowledge. And knowledge is key to preserving and advancing modern family farms. That reminder comes courtesy of Mildmay, ON dairy farmer Ralph Dietrich.... Read More
As the growing season winds down, it's time to think about the best parts of winter — planning for next season and conferences! (My version of "best" my differ from yours). One of the highlights of the conference season has to be FarmTech, where farmers are challenged to evaluate their current production practices and, perhaps,... Read More
Every action on or in the soil profile has an impact on moisture moving up or down. Some passes and implement choices can have a positive impact on water infiltration, but not all do. Understanding how tillage implements impact water movement is one topic that Salford Machinery is exploring at their research site in the... Read More
The devastating early blizzard that shut down parts of South Dakota last week is a harsh reminder of how we're at the mercy of the almighty Mother Nature. As several news outlets are now reporting, the number of cattle who have died or are missing tops the 100,000 mark. Similar to the wicked spring snowstorm... Read More