When thinking about risks to your farm, what comes to mind? Weather and market risks are usually at the top of the list, but there are many other areas where a farm business may be exposed. These risks are often unrecognized because nobody's taken the time to go through an exercise of assessing risks and... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Ask Francisco Rodriquez a question about dairy robots and he’ll tell you about people. With more than 38,000 robots milking cows on 19,000 farms around the globe, the technology is becoming ubiquitous throughout the dairy business. But what does it mean for dairy producers as technology revolutionizes the traditional daily milking grind? “The future in... Read More
Andrew Campbell, a dairy farmer from Strathroy, Ontario and a frequent contributor here on Real Agriculture, has been recognized for his work raising awareness about farming. Andrew received the 2016 Farm & Food Care Ontario Champion Award at the organization's annual meeting in Milton on Wednesday. While he's frequently interviewed by non-ag media and writes... Read More
Ontario's wheat crop saw incredible growth last fall, and spring fertilizer plans must be adjusted accordingly. With advanced wheat, nitrogen application should be delayed, explains Graeme Jones, an agronomist from New Zealand who helped set a previous world record wheat yield. Timing depends on nitrogen availability in the soil and crop size, he says, in... Read More
Farmland values across Canada continue to climb. Some very early seeding is beginning in the West, although there are concerns about dryness. Canada and the EU continue to work on their trade deal, and a popular reality TV veterinarian is showing how farmers care for their animals. We hear from FCC economist JP Gervais, trade... Read More
In this week’s Word, Peter Johnson, resident agronomist for RealAgriculture, covers everything from weather to annual ryegrass control. And, did you get last week's homework assignment done? Skip to Podcast Have a question for Wheat Pete? Call 1-888-746-3311, send him a tweet (@wheatpete), or email him at peter.johnson@bell.net. Highlights (01:05) Weather Update: (01:12) 7.5" rainfall... Read More
Have you ever been to Picture Butte? It is the feedlot capital of Canada. Picture Butte and Lethbridge County are the largest cattle feeding area in Canada. I have lived in the Picture Butte area my entire life. It comes with a butte that no longer exists, a shut down sugar factory that now stores... Read More
The evolution of the Canadian Dairy XPO continued last week as the Stratford, Ontario-based dairy industry event moved to April and unveiled its new We Cover Cow Coliseum. General Manager Jordon Underhill was joined by a host of stakeholders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the permanent 440' x 72' Cow Coliseum located on... Read More
Ontario farmers continue to wage war with fusarium head blight (FHB). The battle is far from over, as evidenced by the disease’s impact on the provincial wheat crop in 2013. But with an ever-expanding management toolbox farmers are now in a much better position to defend their crops, says University of Guelph Associate Professor David... Read More
Walking through the Western Canadian Dairy Seminar tradeshow for the first time felt a bit reminiscent of my first day on the job. I was equally overwhelmed and intrigued by all the new faces and unrecognizable products. But, when I spotted Cargill's booth (a no doubt familiar logo) in conjunction with a CowSignals display, I... Read More