High River, Alta - April, 9, 2025 -  Signs of spring - A farmer harrows a field behind a crocus in full bloom with a honey bee on it..  Mike Sturk photo.

AI app promises Prairie farmers better insect scouting

IPPM Now app uses Prairie expertise, including from Manitoba, to help farmers identify and mange for beneficial and pest insects in their fields

A new app, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven and developed on the Prairies, is expected to help farmers identify and manage pest and beneficial insects.








Photo: konradlew/istock/getty images

Still hard to predict precise fertilizer payback

Despite decades of precision agriculture advances, international research finds no clear way to predict where and when adding nutrient through fertilizer will fail to boost growth

Despite decades of advances, international research finds no clear answer for where and when adding nutrient will fail to boost growth.

A futuristic bin yard at dusk with autonomous tractors moving around and lighted symbols overlaying the image symbolizing the digital interconnectedness of all elements of the image.

Older farm technology may risk hacker attack

Out-of-date internet-connected systems can be a cybersecurity vulnerability on many Prairie farms, allowing hackers in

A farm’s older internet-connected control systems — in one recent case, grain dryers — can let hackers in to wreak havoc.


Versatile returned to Agritechnica in 2025 with this display of its tractors. Photo: John Greig

Five lessons from Agritechnica 2025

Chinese equipment, autonomy and interest in Canadian-made farm machinery were some trends at Agritechnica 2025

Chinese companies, autonomous farm equipment, interest in Canadian-made machinery were notable trends at Agritechnica 2025.

Speed is not the only advantage of large sprayers. Sometimes it is to the systems' detriments. Application precision and quality is the job at hand.  |  Michael Raine photo

Iridium offers GPS spoofing defence

New Iridium chip could strengthen digital security for farm vehicles and equipment, which are increasingly tied into GPS navigation for precision farming and farm data gathering.

A tiny new chip will allow Iridium’s positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals to be received on smaller devices, create a security backstop against global positioning systems (GPS) spoofing.