Glacier FarmMedia – The days of applying fertilizer and other inputs in a blanket fashion across entire fields are coming to an end. With the advent of GPS integrated data loggers and yield maps, farmers no longer need to guess when it comes to applying expensive inputs, said precision agriculture expert Alex Melnitchouck. “Yield is
The era of uniform application is ending as data drives change
The technology behind precision application isn’t the finished article yet, but it’s getting close
Railways in the spotlight as grain shipping season begins
A big crop is bound for export and there are doubts the railways can pull it off
Glacier FarmMedia – Another chapter in the great Canadian rail transport soap opera may be unfolding. The tempestuous couple — railroads and grain farmers — is on the cusp of another argument over harvest shipping. And there’s no alternative for producers. They’re locked into the relationship. Will CN Rail and CP Rail, which struggled to
Foot-and-mouth a ticking time bomb. Is Canada prepared?
Livestock groups want millions of vaccine doses to be stockpiled but say Ottawa is ‘stalling’
Glacier FarmMedia – Ottawa must stop ignoring requests to create a vaccine bank that could save the country’s livestock sector from a devastating a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, say livestock leaders. Producer organizations want Ottawa to spend $3.2 million per year to create a vaccine bank and strengthen its plans for managing a potential outbreak. The response so far
Virtual fence systems for livestock could be the next breakthrough
Though this technology is taking off in Europe and being studied here, it’s still early days
Glacier FarmMedia – Research on virtual fences for livestock is gaining momentum in Western Canada. One technology being studied uses collars on animals that emit a series of audio warnings and, if need be, an electric pulse, when livestock approach an invisible boundary set with GPS coordinates. “The animals are actually able to get trained
No end in sight for soaring farm equipment costs
It’s not just new equipment prices that’s shocking, it’s also the spillover in the used market
Glacier FarmMedia – Prices for farm equipment continue to rise. And it’s not just fancy new iron that’s causing farmers to do double takes. How does $62,972 sound for a 1994 New Holland 9680 tractor? How about $49,995 for a 1995 John Deere 1850 air drill? Or $80,000 for an older tandem axle grain truck?
Controlled traffic farming is proving its worth, say advocates
The system ‘shines’ during droughts and lets farmers seed and harvest sooner when it’s wet, they say
Controlled traffic farming has yet to catch on in a big way in Western Canada, but the extreme conditions over the past two years have shown its worth to two long-term practitioners on opposite ends of the Prairies. “I grew canola and barley last year and we had 28-bushel canola on four and a half
Farmers say no one wants to work. Experts say that’s not the case
Producers are struggling to find workers -- and so is everyone else
Aerial field sprayers are the fighter pilots of industry, swooping low and fast while dropping chemical armaments over fields. They’re used to avoiding obstacles including power lines, trees, buildings and vehicles. But some are facing a new challenge — getting chemical delivered to the aircraft. Calvin Murray, founder of Early Bird Air near Strathmore, Alta.,
Who’s to blame for slowly emerging canola?
Dozens of farmers took to social media this spring to voice concern over alleged slowly emerging canola, but as harvest approaches, there are no answers
Glacier FarmMedia – Planting canola is expensive. Some estimates are as high as $450,000 per 1,000 acres, not including land and equipment costs. So imagine the concerns of many farmers this spring when they encountered slow emergence with some canola hybrids. The most expensive crop ever planted threatened to crush the dreams of farmers eager
COVER CROPS: Give ’em a shot and have some fun, says soil health expert
The short season here is a challenge, but there are ways to profit from this much-discussed practice
Glacier FarmMedia – Cover crops aren’t a magic bullet but they’re worth a try. That was the message an American expert delivered to a group of Canadian producers who considered whether the much-hyped soil health practice can work during the short growing season. “Cover crops don’t solve everything,” said soil scientist Abbey Wick. “It’s not
It’s still ‘wait and see’ country when it comes to biostimulants
A multi-year study has found some products work sometimes on some crops, but it’s hit and miss
Biostimulants work. Sort of. Sometimes. Depending. Dubbed the ‘vitamin supplements of farming,’ there are a wide range of biostimulants and they work — or don’t — in a host of different ways. Sometimes they’re worth applying and sometimes not, a three-year study by Farming Smarter suggests. “We did see an increase in yield for some crops, especially field
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