The ability to precisely place individual seeds in a row, as with corn or soybeans, has led some canola growers to switch from air seeders to vacuum planters. Trials in southern Alberta support the hypothesis that better seed-to-soil contact from using a planter results in improved germination and emergence, says Mike Gretzinger, research manager for... Read More
Category: Video
Stripe rust was back in Ontario wheat fields again in 2017. This year the presence of the disease was first confirmed in Essex County by AGRIS Co-operative. This marks the second consecutive year the disease has devastated farm fields in the province. But help is on the way. In this edition of RealAgriculture Wheat School,... Read More
Beneficial insects provide free labour in the field, preying on insect pests, but what is that labour worth? Because we don't know the economic value of most of these insects, they don't necessarily get factored into the decision to go ahead with spraying an insecticide. Finding economic values for the work these beneficial bugs are... Read More
"15 to 20 years ago it made me nervous to drive past a canola field waiting to be straight cut. But now...our genetics have improved, our ability to handle that crop, and the size of our combines and ability to handle that crop and harvest it in a timely fashion has gotten much better." This... Read More
As a farmer, you take care of our crops all year, pouring thousands of dollars into making sure the final product is up to the standards you expected. So why would you let all that time and money spent go down the drain when you lose a good portion of your crop to harvest loss?... Read More
As harvest begins, the goal is always to get the crop off in the condition that maximizes its value to buyers. In the case of malt barley, there's a list of specs that maltsters are looking at, starting with protein level and kernel plumpness, explains Kevin Sich, supply chain director for Rahr Malting at Alix,... Read More
When we think of sprayer drift, we usually associate it with wind, but there are other environmental factors that influence where droplets end up. Tom Wolf, spray specialist with Agrimetrix and Sprayers101.com, takes a fun twist on learning more about spray drift in this Canola School video, using...a bubble machine. "The bubbles fly just like... Read More
At 42 feet wide, Schulte Industries has made a tool for anybody who wants to mow acres in a hurry. (It might require removing some trees, but just think about how fast you could mow the yard.) The Englefield, Saskatchewan-based manufacturer says its FX-742 mower is the largest rotary cutter built in the world. As... Read More
Driving combine as a custom harvester, Marcel Kringe and a co-worker figured there had to be an easier way to measure how much good seed was being thrown out the back — something more accurate than checking the ground and more safe than running right beside the combine to throw a pan between the wheels.... Read More
When it comes to assessing canola maturity at this time of eyar, it can be tricky to see what's what, especially when it comes to a thick canola crop. In this Canola School episode, Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, shares a tip for finding the main stem — a trick... Read More