After running through your sprayer's routine maintenance, it's time to assess the suitability of its nozzles for upcoming applications, and, let's face it, that decision can be pretty complicated. Besides the typical competition between manufacturers, you also have to consider spray quality. Do you want coarse droplets? Fine droplets? Air induction nozzles? Twin-fan nozzles? How... Read More
Category: Western Canada
With the 2014 growing season fast approaching (we hope) you are probably wrapping up your seeding and input plans and getting antsy to get into the field. As cropping plans start to fall into place, the logical next step for many is to decide on which products or practices to test out to measure their... Read More
Many of us in the agriculture industry spend time too much time scratching our heads, amazed at the perceptions consumers have of agriculture. Some are wonderful, of course, as farmers are viewed as trustworthy and honest, and some are downright false and potentially hurtful and harmful to the industry (Chipotle's 'Scarecrow', anyone?). Perceptions are based... Read More
Bulk buying machinery can have huge cost savings, but if it means working with another operation, it can also come with a price. Whose land is priority, should all of it be ready at once? Who's operating what? How do you manage fuel? Time? And how do you prevent conflict, in a transaction that's all... Read More
Editor’s note: This is the second edition of a new weekly markets column authored by Brennan Turner, founder of FarmLead. Check out www.FarmLead.com for more, and find Brennan on Twitter as @FarmLead. The second week of March saw some wild price swing as the market focused on Monday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE)... Read More
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - In light of the recent completion of the Canada-South Korean Free Trade Agreement negotiations, the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced today that he will lead a large delegation of agriculture groups on a trade mission to South Korea. "The agreement, Canada's very first in Asia, is projected to... Read More
What shape is your farm record keeping system in? Do you write things into a journal? Do you write your records on a sheet of paper and then watch it blow around the truck all summer and possibly out the window as you drive down the highways at 120 km/h. There are other options. Get... Read More
There are good times and there are bad financial times for cattle producers. So far 2014 has been a period of very positive margins. As feeder and live cattle prices have soared higher, the Canadian Dollar and feed costs have lowered quite rapidly. This has put pressure on feedyards to find additional financing requirements in... Read More
By Bernard Tobin Satellites and smart phones are poised to deliver a new level of biosecurity that could keep farmers one step ahead of disease. As Canadian pork producers struggle to contain the spread of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) on their farms, a new company, Be Seen Be Safe, is rolling out a satellite-based... Read More
Call me old fashioned, but I’m siding with dairy farmers in the latest attack against supply management. And I hope any farmer who feels the same way will take action and let their elected officials (particularly at the federal level) know how they feel. Over the past couple of weeks, a fight has emerged between... Read More