Does bare, black earth harvest the sun? Nope. Unless there is a plant to intercept the sunlight, that beam of energy doesn't really do a thing for the soil and that needs to change, says Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Johnson, and many others at OMAF, are on... Read More
Category: Western Canada
Farming can be an overwhelming business, with scientific and economic complexities in every decision. Just deciding on seeding plans or organizing a work crew for silage season can be incredibly stressful. And just when you thought the decisions couldn't be anymore prevalent, you get a call from a land company requesting access to survey for... Read More
Inspired by the Masters of Beef Advocacy program offered in the United States, Canada's Beef Advocacy Program will be available to the public in the new year, and will be comprised of two levels. The first level will be for anyone with interest in the beef industry, providing information "right from genetics and breeding all... Read More
Weed control ahead of the crop is so vital to getting the crop off to the best start possible, it's true, but later emerging or flushes of weeds can strangle a crop in a hurry. As discussed in the first episode of Tech Tour, the sprayer can be a great first place to begin adding... Read More
The ballots are in and counted, and the first seven-member board of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (SWDC) has been named. The board members, with their hometowns, are: Rod Flaman, Edenwold - 4 year term Ken Rosaasen, Saskatoon - 4 year term Bill Gehl, Regina - 4 year term Glenn Tait, Meota - 4 year... Read More
This week started out very different from most weeks, as word came that the Minister of Agriculture would be making a "very large announcement" in the afternoon. I shuffled my schedule and packed my gear and braved the cold to be in the audience when ag minister Gerry Ritz announced Bill C-18, the Canadian Agricultural... Read More
Precision farming and variable rate application technology matures every year. Whether it's advances in mapping or data integration or the roll out of new iron up to the challenge, farmers have no shortage of new precision farming tools at their disposal. Kinze Manufacturing is adding to that stable of options with its latest corn concept... Read More
In this last episode of Rob Saik's epic Agri-Trek to Kenya, Rob takes us on a tour of a primary school's hodge-podge of a garden. We use the term only to mean the organization of the garden, because the diversity of plants is unlike anything you'd likely see in a North American garden. Corn, beans... Read More
Farming has become a year-round state of mind. Seasonality is not as much of a management consideration as it once was, especially for crop producers. Planting season and harvest season still exist, but due to increased demands – including the need to constantly be working on public image — the farming season has become a... Read More
By Rob Wallbridge, Songberry Farm, Bristol, QC. The story of how I came to be touring Monsanto starts back in late April and a blog post where I questioned the current tenor of the GMO debate. It caught the attention of Janice Person, a Social Media Director for Monsanto, who commented, “if you ever want... Read More