What's the difference between targeted spraying and spot spraying? Chris Hansen, small grains agronomist with John Deere, says that it's important to distinguish between a small-scale, handheld spot spray pass and the technology and field-level equipment required for targeted spray applications. There are also different levels of targeted spray offered by several companies, from the... Read More
Category: Video
It was a busy holiday week for BBQs both in Canada and the United States. The holidays, combined with a plant closure in Kansas, all amount to less beef being processed this week. While there wasn't a report from USDA on Thursday, markets closed Wednesday night with choice cutout at six and a half dollars... Read More
Farmers and ranchers are responsible for managing the land they own or rent, including ecologically sensitive areas such as riparian areas and wetlands. These areas aren't always easy to identify, and some of these areas may currently be cultivated and producing crops. Each province has its own goals on conservation of different areas, and there... Read More
While small plot research allows for well-controlled studies, it can be challenging for farmers to implement new findings at a farm scale. Variability in environment, soil, topography and equipment can change the outcome of practices that may have worked very well in small plots. One way to solve the issues experienced by growers when implementing... Read More
Farmers and ranchers face many pressures to farm and raise animals in certain ways to meet sustainability-related goals of others, including food companies, lenders, and government. Clauses in crop contracts, carbon credits, government payments for rotational grazing or using nitrogen loss inhibitors, the federal fertilizer emissions reduction target, clean fuel standards, codes of practice, and... Read More
When Dave Van Belle hears the word 'sustainability' the first two things that come to his mind are environmental sustainability and economic sustainability. The two go hand in hand, says the president of Van Belle Nursery, a family-owned wholesale nursery located just north of Abbotsford, B.C. Over the last 50 years the business has grown... Read More
The time is coming when farmers will check an in-field diagnostic tool for presence of a disease or insect and know it's time to apply a crop protection product. We're not exactly there yet, but sensor technology and apps are advancing to the point where it's possible to get diagnostics on a field-by-field basis. One... Read More
When out walking corn fields, growers will often come across what look like branches off of the main stalk of the plants. Tillers can be found on many grass plants, and while being an essential part of other crops, producers often do not know what to make of seeing them in their corn crop. In... Read More
Big corn acres in the U.S. and dandy looking crops in the west have created a bit of a supply issue for markets, one that could be helped by some serious export demand. Whether or not that demand materializes as prices fall is the billion dollar question. For this early July grain market update, we... Read More
Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous move quite differently though the soil, and understanding how they travel is key to helping growers choose the best application strategies. Phosphorous, for example, tends to be more like a tortoise, moving slowly and methodically. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is the hare, racing quickly through the plant root... Read More