Cattle grazing in a pasture.

Which is better: big cows or little cows? It depends

Heavier-milking, bigger cows are more efficient in some situations, while moderate,
lighter-milking cows are more efficient in others

Marketing cows because they are open, calved late or their conformation is breaking down are easy decisions. Marketing cows or retaining heifers based on productive efficiency definitely requires more thought. Biological efficiency is not always the same as economic efficiency. In a cattle production system, efficiency is often a combination of those two. How we

New EPA biofuel targets dent corn’s demand prospects

At the very least, lower usage targets for both ethanol and other biofuels are 
expected to reduce interest in expanding production in the sector

Many corn traders tried to shrug off the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to trim the U.S. renewable fuels usage targets for 2014 and 2015, noting that U.S. ethanol production is driven more by operating margins than government-mandated blending requirements and is likely to remain high as long as ethanol makers can make profits. But



Tests at HELP International show that recycled rubber tire rings allow weeds to gradually infiltrate the planting site of a hybrid poplar. The recycled grain bag rings after the same period of time do a better job of protecting the seedling.  photo: HELP International

NGO sees gold mine in recycled grain bags

Old, used grain bags are big, bulky, and present a disposal headache for farmers. But for Rodney Sidloski, the CEO of Weyburn, Saskatchewan-based Help International, they are a potential gold mine. “We can potentially see a retail value of up to $4,000 out of a bag that brand new only cost the farmer about $1,000,”


CAEPLA CEO, Dave Core, speaks to landowners during a meeting in St. Malo.  Photo: Shannon VanRaes

Transmission projects anger landowners

Many southern Manitoba residents fear a trio of new transmission 
lines will hamper their ability to farm or lower their home’s value

Rural Manitobans shouldn’t expect help from their urban cousins in battling three proposed power transmission lines because they don’t care what happens in farm country, according to a Conservative MLA. “The people in Winnipeg don’t give a sh** about what happens on your land,” said Emerson MLA Cliff Graydon, although he also said two newly

What are the odds for big snowfalls?

As we’ve been learning over the years, certain weather-related questions sound simple enough, but when you actually start to look at the question, it becomes tougher to figure out. Take trying to figure out when winter actually begins: the tough part is how to define just what constitutes the start of winter. Should it be



No significant storms in sight

Weather forecast for week of Nov. 11, 2013

Last week’s forecast pretty much fell apart after the weekend, as a very strong area of arctic high pressure dropped southeastward, bringing the coldest air of the season to all areas. Luckily this area of high pressure moved through quickly, resulting in only a day or two of cold air. This forecast period looks to


photo: thinkstock

Alberta researchers use eggshells to build better battery

Your morning omelette may hold the solution to your quick-dying smartphone battery. University of Alberta researchers David Mitlin and post-doctoral fellow Zhi Li have developed a fast-charging supercapacitor using eggshell membranes — a plentiful egg industry byproduct. “We sell the liquid egg whites and the yoke to food processors, and we have no use for

Severe versus air mass thunderstorms

So far in our look at severe thunderstorms we’ve looked at the three main severe weather threats: heavy rain, hail, and wind or tornadoes. What we haven’t discussed or looked at is why do some thunderstorms become severe while others do not, and how can you tell if a thunderstorm moving towards you is going