Regulatory restrictions are not on the radar in Manitoba, but the province's agriculture entomologist suggests farmers in Western Canada should ask themselves "why?" before using neonicotinoid seed treatments. The Ontario and Quebec governments are restricting the use of insecticide-treated seed in response to concerns about neonics hurting bee health, but there haven't been the same... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Egg Farmers of Canada took a creative approach on Tuesday morning to raise awareness about egg nutrition and production while giving people in Canada's largest cities a bright start to a mid-winter day. Egg farmers and EFC staff handed out thousands of free egg breakfast sandwiches and potted yellow daffodils after setting up "pop-up gardens"... Read More
The first secret of soybean success really isn't much of a secret, confesses agronomist Ross Bender. It all comes down to the weather, specifically rain in August. But farmers do have an opportunity to impact the remaining production factors that make up the six secrets of soybean success, says Bender, senior agronomist for the Mosaic... Read More
Forget the silver bullet, whether it's some nonexistent piece of machinery or the latest snake oil crop input. In reality, the key to boosting a farm's bottom line is incremental improvements that add up. Kristjan Hebert (@kristjanhebert) is a farmer from Fairlight, Saskatchewan and a proponent of the "five percent rule" — a philosophy advanced... Read More
A new report commissioned by SaskCanola says there would be no net benefit to producers from implementing a component pricing system that offers premiums or discounts based on canola's oil content. "There was some discussion a few years ago when crush margins were widening — are farmers receiving a fair amount for the canola they're... Read More
Since visiting Agritechnica in November, I have been sharing presentations on some of the cool innovations and products in agriculture. One of the most popular topics to discuss is the opportunity of autonomous tractors. The autonomous tractor product example that I chat about with audiences is the Greenbot. We've also seen Manitoba farmer Matt Reimer... Read More
Do you have a neighbour that seems to always have the latest in technology or buys land without ever thinking about ROI, capacity or profitability? A fellow farmer that seems to have every single possible device, monitor, gadget, or piece of precision farming gear? A guy that some mislabel as a "progressive farmer" but they... Read More
There's a balance that must be struck in any farm succession plan. Mom and dad (the retiring generation) need enough money to retire and enjoy what they've earned, while the succeeding generation needs to start with enough to maintain a viable business. As Jacquie Gerrard of Backswath Management explains, farm succession conversations should start with... Read More
We always love to see when content sparks further discussion among viewers and readers. Discussion is what fuels learning among the agriculture community. We tweeted this: New unit from Summers Mfg designed to cut down on sprayer fill times — thoughts?https://t.co/lgQYy1vTST — RealAgriculture (@realagriculture) February 1, 2016 Creating efficiency is not easy for product developers.... Read More
As the Canadian Dairy XPO enters its fourth year, the upstart dairy industry show is making moves to attract more producers and exhibitors. The show attracted about 10,000 people when it launched in 2013. Local dairy producers have embraced the show, says CDX General Manager Jordon Underhill, “but what we’ve seen is an increase in... Read More