Glacier FarmMedia – Researchers have used gene editing to bring to life a new shorter, highly branched variety of canola that has more pods and is easier to harvest. “Based on my conversations with some people in the agriculture industry — including primary producers — they would love to have a crop like this,” said
Researchers use gene editing to create breakthrough canola variety
Shorter, highly branched canola plants with more pods show the power of the cutting-edge technology
When the plant speaks, nutrients listen
A Canadian researcher may have found a radically new way to fertilize crops
Glacier FarmMedia – It sounds like science fiction, but some day there may be a fertilizer that only activates once the plant tells it to. That’s an oversimplification, but it’s the premise behind a researcher’s prototype for a “smart” fertilizer which uses a unique chemical to “listen” to calls for nutrients from the plant roots.
Grain elevator capacity soaring across the Prairies
The growth in the last four years has been phenomenal — and there’s more to come
Glacier FarmMedia – The business of building grain elevators is — pardon the pun — on a runaway train. The growth has been, by any measure, phenomenal. In just the last four years, elevator companies have added 1.2 million tonnes of storage — a 16 per cent jump. And that expansion train isn’t slowing down.
Better grain bin sensors could put you in the combine a week earlier
The key to an earlier start is being able to successfully dry down higher-moisture grain
To some, new research on wireless sensors and automated fans for grain bins may seem like just another technical study. But there’s big stakes in play — an opportunity to move up harvest by a week or even two, says Chandra Singh. “When I joined Lethbridge College in 2019 there was a very early snow
DOT earns passing grades at college, but not straight A’s
Fuel and labour are issues but the driverless implement shows plenty of potential in trials
Is the DOT ready for a full-time job on your operation? It might be too early to say, but researchers know the self-propelled, driverless tractor-minus-the-tractor finishes what it starts. “Every mission we started with DOT we were able to finish with DOT,” said Joy Agnew of Olds College. “There was never a catastrophic failure or
How to stay (properly) grounded when installing electric fencing
Quality — whether ground rods, wire or insulators — is worth the money, says fencing expert
To anyone who’s never built one, an electric fence can seem like a pretty simple structure. In some ways they’re right — like any kind of electrical circuit, an electric fence requires a source of power, a conduit, some kind of ground and usually insulators. But, as is often the case, it’s only as good
Take farm safety personally and make a commitment, says expert
Don’t practise on-farm safety because the government says so — do it for yourself and your family
Glacier FarmMedia – Working safely on the farm is like getting ready to jump out of an airplane. You can’t afford to pack your parachute right only some of the time — you have to do it right every time. That line of thinking is the same producers should be using in their safety procedures
Do farmers have the right to repair their own equipment?
The debate over ‘right to repair’ versus ‘right to modify’ leaves producers stuck in the middle
It’s a story that’s becoming more and more common. You’re smack dab in the middle of harvest and an error code appears on your combine’s monitor. A call to the dealership results in a long wait for a technician to come out, with anxiety rising with every passing hour because priceless harvesting time is being
Now is the time to start thinking about conditioning canola
Having the right setup and the manpower capacity for turning bins are keys to avoiding spoilage
Two late and wet harvests in a row have greatly increased canola spoilage — and upped the need to have a conditioning plan in place early on. “It’s really important to consider this topic now when there is time rather than being in the heat of harvest and having to make decisions,” said Lorne Grieger,
What’s the best bang for your grain-drying buck?
No one really knows for sure but a research project is looking for answers
As producers know all too well, grain drying can be very expensive. But what isn’t known is which grain-conditioning system offers the most bang for the buck. “There’s a real gap in the understanding of the efficiency of — for example — natural air-drying (NAD) systems with supplemental heating,” said Lorne Grieger of the Prairie Agricultural Research Institute, which
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
