The European Commission 'severely restricted' three neonicotinoids — clothiandidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam — in an effort to protect honeybees, but critics say the regulations are doing for the very opposite. "In 2013 the European parliament voted to ban the use of neonics on flowering plant species, because of concerns about bee health," said Simon Kightley,... Read More

Salford is giving growers the ability to apply either in-row, pop-up, or banded granular starter fertilizer with the ease and maneuverability that comes with a planter-mounted fertilizer applicator. The company's new Ferti-GO 4S features a single product hopper, available for mounting on many planter models, with variable rate metering and four-section control. "With this metering... Read More

Thinking about using an aerial applicator this year to fly on fungicide, fertilizer, or cover crops? If so, you better grab your phone and book a supplier, says Dan Haupt of Blenheim, ON, based Zimmer Air Services. The family-owned company, currently operated by Paul Zimmer, has been serving Ontario agriculture since 1974. Haupt says farmers... Read More

From storage requirements to difficult-to-spell words like 'Mannheimia haemolytica' and 'rhinotracheitis,' there's a lot to consider when it comes to vaccinating cattle. And that complexity is one of the reasons Cody Creelman, veterinarian and managing partner of Veterinary Agri-Health Services, suggests producers develop a customized, written vaccination protocol, with annual reviews. "It's important to [re-assess... Read More

While yield and lodging attributes will always be critical, pulse crop breeders have placed a high priority on root rot resistance in recent years, and are increasingly focused on the nutritional profile of new pea, lentil and chickpea varieties. Tom Warkentin, pulse breeder at the Crop Development Centre at Saskatoon, joins us for this Pulse... Read More

With more than 4000 measurements taken per second, John Deere's manure sensing technology offers farmers a solution to the otherwise extreme variability in nutrient content when spreading manure. With farmers in Europe (and parts of North America) facing increasing regulatory oversight over nutrient application, Deere has developed the high-tech manure sensor technology to measure and... Read More

If there's a consistent theme across new agriculture technology over the last few years it's automation. From driverless tractors, to spot-spraying drones, automation is advancing quickly within the farming sector and for very good reasons. Automation is best suited to replacing repetitive or labour-intensive tasks. It's also a great fit for when precision matters —... Read More