Do you ever wonder where equipment manufacturers get their great new ideas? While some will get inspiration from their own on-the-farm experiences, some new innovations are dreamed up on paper long before they ever hit the field. Still other manufacturers use a collaborative approach, seeking out feedback from their customers and problem solving for them.... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Any of a number of factors can cause a pulse crop to become nitrogen deficient, particularly issues with inoculant. Using the wrong Rhizobium species, applying inadequate rates or storing bacteria improperly can decrease the likelihood of proper root nodulation. Less controllable factors, like extreme plant stress or inoculant/soil desiccation can also have a huge impact.…Read More
What limits yield on your farm? Too much water? Not enough? Low soil nutrient levels? Not enough heat? At least one scientist will tell you it's none of the above — the most limiting factor for crop production in North America is actually soil carbon. "Our soils are starved for carbon," says Kristine Nichols, a... Read More
Growing Degree Days (GDD) are an indicator of expected crop development based on weather conditions. GDDs are calculated by taking the mean temperature over a day and subtracting a base temperature. For most cereal grains, the base temperature is considered 5 degrees C, as they require around 1200 GDD to reach maturity. GDD = (Tmax…Read More
One of the coolest things at Canada's Farm Progress Show is how all of the seeding equipment manufacturers lay all their cards on the table to try and prove who is the most innovative. Regina is the home for Canada's Farm Progress Show, and Saskatchewan is the home for some of the biggest players in... Read More
Farmers from a wide swath of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are slogging through washed out roads, flooded homes and submerged fields after a weekend of rain that dumped from three to over seven inches of water over the southeast and west portions, respectively, of those provinces. For many crops, the water is simply too much —... Read More
Fenders play an incredible role in reducing equipment and nozzle damage and keeping the sprayer clean, thus reducing the risk of soil-borne disease movement. Still, owning a set of fenders for both wide and narrow tires can be costly, and the process for removal and replacement can be rather time consuming. With all this in... Read More
The importance of good spray coverage is emphasized in all kinds of agricultural publications, including product labels. But, according to Tom Wolf, spray application specialist with AgriMetrix Research and Training in this episode of Spray Tips, "the labels are remarkably silent on what good coverage actually is and how you can actually measure it." Wolf... Read More
A conundrum. A quagmire. An imbroglio. Quite simply put, we’re in a bit of a predicament between some very wet conditions creating production concerns in Western Canada and the northern U.S. states, but also because the market it chewing through a neutral-to-bearish report from Statistics Canada on Friday, June 27th and a surprising USDA report... Read More
Who’d have thought drivers on public roads would ever be warned to beware of faster farm vehicles? Not me. Traditionally, people have moaned about getting stuck behind slow-moving farm gear, prompting the ag sector to plead for patience and try explaining it’s just doing its job, getting from one farm, or from one part of... Read More