New technologies may work in the lab or in a research setting, but can they provide value in the real-world on a modern, large-scale commercial farm? That's the basic premise behind a unique arrangement that has come to be known as "Innovation Farms," just northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Grosse Isle-area farmer and long-time seed grower... Read More

Some technology is adopted because it becomes the only real option — like needing an email address or running tractors instead of horses. But plenty of technology is a "nice to have" not "need to have" and the defining line between the two usually hinges on the return on investment (ROI). In farming, ROI can... Read More

Is it efficient to use autonomous vehicle in row crop agriculture in southwestern Ontario? That's a question cash crop farmer Mark Richards is wrestling with on his Dresden, Ont. farm. In 2022, he used a solar-powered FarmDroid robot to plant sugar beets. That machine found it challenging to adapt to the widespread use of strip... Read More

Zappers, seed grinders, and robots, oh my! What's the latest in weed control technology? For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Chuck Baresich of Haggerty AgRobotics, and Kim Brown Livingston of Manitoba Agriculture, to discuss the trouble with problem weeds and the new (old?) ways to deal with them. From... Read More

Tractor-maker Versatile is moving toward a future with autonomous tractors through a partnership with Alberta-based Mojow Autonomous Solutions. Mojow, which was founded in 2020, has completed three months of testing its EYEBOX controller on a high-horsepower four-wheel-drive Versatile tractor, controlling all the tractor functions, including steering, propulsion, lights, ignitition and activation of hydraulics. “We are... Read More

Could cameras mounted on sprayer booms help revolutionize crop scouting, stand assessment and the gathering of crop management information? On this episode of RealAgriculture Soybean School, we ride along with the SWAT Cam to learn how these sprayer-mounted cameras scout fields and gather information agronomists and growers can utilize to make crop management decisions. Agronomist... Read More

What we describe as new technology is continuously changing; however, the impact it has on our cropping systems remains strong. Dr. Terry Griffin, cropping systems economist at Kansas State University has written a report for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on technology adoption, entitled "Precision Ag in a Digital Era." Although the word... Read More

Minimizing erosion, better crop inputs management and higher corn yields is what Port Rowan, Ont., farmer Dan Petker was looking for when he adopted strip tillage five years ago. Farming with his family on the shores of Lake Erie, Petker turned to strip till — the process of minimizing tillage by cultivating eight-inch wide strips... Read More