Satellites are helping depict a clearer picture (literally) of what Canadian farmers grow each year. Accurately predicting and measuring production of each crop grown in Canada has been an ongoing quest for the grain industry and government agencies since farming began in North America. Or at least since the start of the 20th century when... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Success in agriculture requires a lot of commitment, and it can often feel as though all we do is work. But part of achieving success is being able to get a way from it all — taking a break to refresh your brain and attempt to achieve balance in your life. Related: No Time or... Read More
If you ask a farmer or agronomist using a drone for field scouting or other imagery-related applications what type of unit they use, chances are it's a DJI Phantom. There are many drone manufacturers out there, but the Chinese company has a majority market share, particularly in the market for beginner units. The latest model... Read More
Twenty charges were laid yesterday in the case of a Chilliwack dairy where employees were filmed abusing animals by an undercover Mercy for Animals activist in 2014. “On June 2, 2014 the BC SPCA received an undercover video that showed employees at Chilliwack Cattle Sales using chains, canes, rakes, their booted feet and their fists... Read More
Thanks to changes in legislation in the province, and an ever-growing interest in food and drink, craft breweries are popping up across Alberta. "We know as brewers that the best barley on earth comes from Alberta," Graham Sherman, of Tool Shed Brewing told us. "And we also know that we have the best malthouses on... Read More
For many of us, shiny new equipment with the industry's latest innovations are more than eye-catching — they're drool-worthy. But, you might not have to rush out to get a new sprayer just yet. "There's a lot of things you can actually do to increase the value of your sprayer — or the performance of... Read More
Pierceton, Illinois farmer Jamie Scott has been preaching the gospel of cover crops for 10 years. At the recent Innovative Farmers of Ontario annual meeting in London, Scott described how his father was his first and toughest convert. When he told Jim Scott that his idea to plant cover crops on their farm would cost... Read More
A red spring wheat variety that accounted for more than 20 percent of wheat acres in Western Canada in the early 2000s has been chosen as the 2015-16 Seed of the Year West. CDC Teal was developed by Dr. Geoff Hughes and Dr. Pierre Hucl at the University of Saskatchewan's Crop Development Centre and supported... Read More
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization hosted an international symposium in Rome last month on The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition. The FAO's goal for the event was to debate and exchange ideas on how biotech can benefit smallholder farmers — both in sustainability and nutrition — in the... Read More
A certain irony exists in the fact that quinoa — a relatively new crop to modern farmers and today’s consumers — is both a cousin to one of Canada’s most notorious weeds (lamb’s quarters), and a food plant that’s been around in a primitive form for hundreds of years in South America. But Quinta Quinoa,... Read More