Producers have been hearing about weed-targeting spot-spraying sensors for some time, but it’s always seemed to be the stuff of science fiction. In some cases, however, the future is now while in others it’s coming quickly — it all depends on the type of sensor tech you’re interested in. Well-known spraying expert Tom Wolf separates precision spot-spraying tech into
Smart sprayer tech developing quickly
This technology isn’t quite a done deal yet, but it’s now more science fact than fiction
Plunging prices and better tech should put drones on your radar
Drones with sophisticated imaging tech can be robust precision tools for managing cattle on pasture
Producers are always being pitched new technology, and the marketing din is arguably louder than ever in this age of precision agriculture. So when producers ask if unmanned aerial vehicles are just expensive toys, it’s a fair question. While John Church would be the first to admit he has a lot of fun researching the
It’s cheap and plentiful but is elemental sulphur a fertilizer option?
Calgary company touts the benefits of its compost-based product
[UPDATED: Oct. 10, 2019] When you consider the cost and bulkiness of conventional sulphur fertilizers, producers can hardly be blamed for seeking out alternatives to meet their crops’ sulphate needs. One of these alternatives is elemental sulphur — a byproduct of the oil and gas industry that is plentiful and cheap in Western Canada. But
Fast-food chain joins beef sustainability effort
Harvey’s signs on to program as demand for certified sustainable beef continues to grow
Fast-food chain Harvey’s has become the latest major buyer to sign up for the ‘sustainable’ beef initiative. But even while the number of retailers is increasing, most cattle producers are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach that has resulted in a gap between supply and demand. However, that gap is closing, said Ponoka rancher Greg
Simple steps for avoiding the nightmare of a barn fire
Annual electrical inspections, hard-wiring equipment and good housekeeping are proven risk reducers
A barn fire can be one of the most distressing disasters on a farm — no amount of insurance can rectify the loss when livestock are killed this way. Although there are fewer barn fires today, the pure destruction factor has never been higher. For example, Ontario had 89 barn fires from 2014 to 2018,
Don’t stop: Loop tracks set to revolutionize shipping
If you never decouple the locomotive, you never lose braking pressure – and that's huge
The loop-track/power-on grain terminals popping up throughout the Prairies are kind of like the marines — no rail car gets left behind. That’s one example of how these terminals improve efficiency in Canada’s grain transportation system, said Warren Stow, president of GrainsConnect Canada, whose company is currently building two such facilities in the Alberta communities
The search for a ‘win-win’ solution to unprofitable acres
Precision agriculture meets precision conservation in ongoing profitability mapping research
Farming and farmland conservation sometimes seem at odds with each other — a win for one is seen as a loss for the other. After all, taking land out of production for conservation purposes is seen as a loss of productive farmland, while the ecological community sometimes views intensive ag production as a threat to
Shoe on the other foot? Look for improved grain basis at the elevator this year
It’s a very different situation from two years ago — now grain companies are keen to ‘keep their pipelines moving’
A bad-news year for crop production is a good year when it comes to basis — and so farmers should be shopping around this harvest, say market analysts. “In general in years when supplies are tight locally or in a region, you would normally expect to see basis levels that are stronger than what you
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