There was a time when people laughed and suggested that farmers were different. That they would never use the internet and the thought of a farmer shopping online was ridiculous. Thank goodness this has not been the case and those negative nillies are proved increasingly wrong everyday. I spoke to Scott Derksen, CIO at Iron... Read More
Category: Western Canada
I'm beginning to suspect these Peterson farm boys aren't nearly as busy farming as they claim to be, as this latest parody video looks even more polished than the last one. All kidding aside, this latest video, based on the opening sequence of the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," is a hoot, and a fantastic and... Read More
With the corn crop off to a good start, now is a great time to assess root establishment, check for compaction layers and get a handle on seed placement. See How to Measure Hard Pan In this video, Mark Van Veen of Salford Machinery, walks us through two soil pits — one that shows us... Read More
When considering tank mixes, whether in-crop or pre-seed, most farmers spend most of their time ensuring the products will control what they're targeting and if there are any re-cropping restrictions. Rightly so, as these are the two most important factors, however how much thought do you give to the water volume and nozzle selection when... Read More
Perhaps I should preface this list with a caveat — the best way to make perfect hay is to ensure it doesn't get rained on. And now that we've all stopped belly-laughing we can get down to the business of making hay in a more realistic setting. I've listened to Dr. Dan Undersander, from the... Read More
The Canola Council of Canada recently announced the findings from an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-funded Chinese study that suggests dairy cattle fed canola meal significantly increased their total milk production. The study shows that when used in dry rations, meal from Canadian canola can increase daily milk production by .6 kilograms per cow, according to... Read More
There is many a cowboy who likely wouldn't dream of kicking the cows off his land and running sheep or goats. We get that. But if you haven't thought about the benefits of using sheep and goats on pasture, you may be missing out on a very efficient means of getting more out your existing... Read More
A few weeks ago, I visited Mike Dugan, meat lipid scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, to ask about feeding flax seed to pigs to increase omega-3s in pork, and thus diversify the consumer base. But, one may ask, where's the beef? Well, a current study at the Lacombe Research Centre in Alberta is looking... Read More
June is a great time to assess patterns in a field and get to the root cause of any problems you see. Patchy areas, differences in maturity, height or colour could be any number of things — insect damage, disease, a nutrient deficiency or, and it's often overlooked, a soil structure problem. In this video,... Read More
If you scouted your canola field for flea beetle damage even a day or two ago, it's time to get out there and do it again. Kristen Phillips, agronomy specialist in Manitoba for the Canola Council of Canada, is reporting a few thousand acres near Brandon will have to be reseeded because of excessive flea... Read More