Reward farmers for digitalization, says Farmers’ Edge CEO

Digital tracking of all aspects of farm production could bring economic opportunities for farms and governments alike

Governments should incentivize farm digitalization like they incentivize environmental farm plans, Farmers’ Edge CEO Wade Barnes told participants in the Manitoba Protein Summit. “The opportunity that comes out of it is just enormous,” he said. Barnes took part in a panel discussion on digital innovation alongside other experts in farm technology during the virtual summit

Many farmers already use digital tools on their tractors and other equipment to generate field work data.

Agricultural digitization and environmental practices go together

Besides helping farmers save money on inputs, digital technology could pay dividends if and when governments start reimbursing producers for environmentally friendly farm management practices. So says Kris Kinnaird, product market manager for Farmers Edge, a Winnipeg-based agricultural technology company which markets a digital platform called FarmCommand. This product, and others like it, could enable


wade barnes

Big ag goes headhunting for carbon offsets

EMERGING | In a wild, wild west of carbon programming services, should producers buy in (or rather sell in) to the sales pitch?

As Canadian and U.S. carbon markets heat up, big ag companies are throwing their hats into the carbon offset program ring and looking to recruit farmers to produce those offsets. This June, fertilizer giant Nutrien rolled out a plan to expand its pilot carbon program which began last year. With about 200,000 acres enrolled in

Farmers Edge’s online event on March 3 included a congratulatory note from TMX Group, owner of the TSX. (Farmers Edge video screengrab)

Farmers Edge launches IPO

Digital ag firm makes first public share offering to big demand

Manitoba’s best-known digital agriculture firm is now a publicly-traded company. Farmers Edge, founded in 2005 in Pilot Mound, Man. by agronomists Wade Barnes and Curtis MacKinnon, has carved out a niche using field-centric data, artificial intelligence and its FarmCommand data management platform. CEO Wade Barnes called it an exciting day during an online press conference


Farmers Edge plans IPO

Winnipeg-based company has made the initial steps in its plan to go public

Manitoba’s homegrown digital ag multinational has plans to go public. Farmers Edge this week announced it has filed a preliminary prospectus with provincial and territorial securities regulation authorities throughout Canada. National Bank Financial and CIBC Capital Markets will spearhead the offering, along with Scotia Capital, Cannacord Genuity and Raymond James. The expected number of common

wade barnes

The great disruptor

Wade Barnes is straddling the digital/agriculture divide — and reimagining agronomy

Wade Barnes says he knows what the agronomy of tomorrow looks like. It’s a proactive system that uses data to model crop development, helping farmers make decisions every step of the way. The power of data analytics will fuel every step, from what variety to plant based on soil moisture, disease and pest pressure and


(Image courtesy Farmers Edge)

Self-checking field health mapping system launched

The farmer’s job of poring over satellite field maps looking for disease, weed and insect trouble is about to go automatic. Winnipeg-based digital ag consulting firm Farmers Edge recently released Health Change Maps and Notifications, a new function that automatically scans the company’s daily satellite imagery and alerts growers of any changes in field health

Wade Barnes, CEO of Farmers Edge.

Farmers Edge releases road map

The company is promising a host of new digital agriculture tools

A homegrown ag technology giant says it’s expecting to launch more than 90 new digital agronomic tools in the coming months. Winnipeg’s Farmers Edge released a “comprehensive R&D road map” May 1, touting its ability to leverage data analytics and high-tech approaches like machine learning to enable “data-driven decision-making” that supports high-yield crop production. Farmers


Adding an agronomist to your farm team

Adding an agronomist to your farm team

As farming gets more complicated a growing number of companies are offering to help out. Some farmers get advice from their local independent retailer, or an agronomist employed by a company like CPS. But more and more farmers are choosing to pay for agronomic advice. Based on the logo-covered trucks parked at farm shows, the

Farmers Edge is partnering with Planet, the company with the largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites, to bring farmers satellite images of fields several times a week. (Submitted image)

Farmers Edge expands satellite imagery offering

Farmers Edge says it’s making satellite imagery a practical and affordable agronomic tool for farmers through a new strategic partnership with Planet, the company with the largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. “We think this will be game-changing,” Farmers Edge president and CEO Wade Barnes said in an interview Oct. 3. “I think it’s going to