Strong, durable and lightweight. Those are the words John Deere is using to describe its new carbon fibre spray booms. John Deere has been working for years on ways to substitute the composite material for the steel and aluminum traditionally used in farm equipment. After years of testing, the new 120- and 132-foot carbon fibre... Read More
Category: Western Canada
The tough harvest conditions on the prairies last fall were unforeseen when planning began for Canada's first grain entrapment awareness and training program, but the launch of "BeGrainSafe" has turned out to be incredibly timely. "Out-of-condition grain is a major contributor to grain entrapment situations, as well as other types of injuries and illness. We... Read More
Ontario Pork announced February 23, 2017, that it had confirmed the 100th Ontario case of PED (porcine epidemic diarrhea) virus. It is the first confirmed case this year. The virus was confirmed Wednesday, February 22, 2017, in a finisher barn in Haldimand-Norfolk county. No other details have been released at this time. Read more: Managing... Read More
With unharvested crop still in the field and saturated soils in many areas, some helpful weather could be on the way for Western Canada this spring, says Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. "The spring bias is tilted toward a little less precipitation and a slight warmer bias," he says in the video below, filmed... Read More
If new rail legislation the federal government promised to introduce this spring is to be passed before the end of the session in June, it will have to be tabled soon. "One would imagine with the legislative calendar, it's going to be have to be in the next several weeks," says Steve Pratte, rail policy... Read More
Alberta-based farm data and precision ag service provider Decisive Farming is entering the American market through a deal with Titan Machinery, the largest Case IH dealer in the U.S. A strategic alliance between the two companies was formally announced this week. The deal is similar to Decisive Farming's agreement with Rocky Mountain Equipment, the largest... Read More
What would you do with 100,000 toothpicks? The answer is obvious for Tennessee farmers Chase Long and Colby Counce, builders of the world’s largest model farm. They gathered together some friends and worked for a week to turn the toothpicks into harvested cornfields on their 15,000-acre replica. Real Agriculture first featured the model farm when... Read More
Recognizing irradiation as a safe and effective treatment to reduce bacteria in ground beef, Health Canada has published new regulations allowing the sale of irradiated fresh and frozen raw ground beef. The final regulations were published in Canada Gazette, Part II on February 22, and take effect immediately. Irradiation involves exposing food to low levels... Read More
Can it be? Has #plant17 really started already? Well, for at least a few farmers in the southern climes of Ontario are rolling out to frost seed oats (the temp is in the teens today!), and that's where we begin this week's Wheat Pete's Word. Yes, planting oats in February can work, explains your host... Read More
In the feedlot business, as elsewhere, necessity is the mother of innovation. So when Stronks Feedlot at Picture Butte, Alta., couldn't find software to fit its operation, they invented it. On this season of the TechTour, together with Dow AgroSciences, we're shining the spotlight on on-farm innovations and inventions that improve efficiency and productivity. Hampered... Read More