Reading Time: < 1 minute Some producers are concerned that a farm equipment industry push against modification may spell the end of connectivity — in other words, the ability of third-party manufacturers to produce tools which adapt farm vehicles for specialized uses. An example would be a combine header specifically designed for pulse crops. But abolishing connectivity is not on […] Read more
Connectivity ‘grey’ under new trade agreement

Go grab a coffee, the robots have got this
Future of Farming: Hook sensors, cameras, algorithms, and self-driving machines together, and farming becomes a new ball game
Reading Time: 5 minutes Just picture it: You’ve been watching your crop get rained on all week from your kitchen window, and it’s about time to do some crop scouting to see if you need to spray. But your farm is way ahead of you. Soil sensors have been monitoring moisture levels, and they’ve already called for reinforcements. A […] Read more

Feds back autonomous weederbot’s Halifax manufacturer
ACOA funding to support field-level trials
The federal government’s economic development agency for Atlantic Canada is putting up money for a new round of on-the-ground tests of a self-guided field-weeding robot. Halifax MP Andy Fillmore on Wednesday announced a $550,000 repayable investment from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) Regional Economic Growth Through Innovation program for Halifax-based Nexus Robotics. Nexus, the […] Read more

Is early application of fungicides better?
Reading Time: 2 minutes When is a good time to spray to manage leaf disease on cereal crops? Some producers include fungicide application at herbicide timing — the three- to five-leaf stage — believing it will reduce leaf spot disease levels later in the growing season. “This practice is not supported by previous research trials,” said provincial agronomy research […] Read more

U.S. EPA permits farmers’ use of dicamba until July 31
Court ruling blocked product registrations
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday that farmers can use existing supplies of a herbicide linked to crop damage, after a federal court blocked sales and use of the product last week. The EPA said farmers have until July 31 to use supplies of dicamba-based herbicides that they had […] Read more

Ready for prime time? Spot-spraying tech advancing quickly
Spot spraying in crop has a ways to go, but pre-seed burn-off may soon be commonplace
Reading Time: 5 minutes 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 […] Read more

Buhler to halt Farm King manufacturing at Fargo
Work to move to company's Minnesota plant
Farm equipment maker Buhler Industries plans to gather its U.S. manufacturing work into one plant in Minnesota this summer and halt operations at nearby Fargo, N.D. The Winnipeg company, whose product lines include Versatile tractors and sprayers and Farm King application, tillage and hay equipment, said Monday it’s “optimizing” its U.S. production to boost efficiency […] Read more

Herbicide injury guide now online
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Herbicide Action and Injury guide is now available online. The guide looks at pesticides, their modes of action and the identifying symptoms of each herbicide action on susceptible plants. It is useful for the initial diagnosis of plant injury and for further investigation into the causes of crop damage from herbicides, crop specialist Harry […] Read more

Farm suppliers race COVID-19 spread for planting season
Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — North America’s biggest farm suppliers are accelerating shipments of fertilizer, seeds and agricultural chemicals to crop-growing regions in an unprecedented race against the coronavirus that threatens to disrupt planting season. The timing could not be worse for farmers preparing to plant crops. Disruptions in deliveries of fertilizer, seeds or chemicals could […] Read more

Ag chem industry watching COVID-19’s spread
MarketsFarm –– China is a major producer of agricultural chemicals — and disruptions to production would have a ripple effect on North American supplies of crop protection inputs, such as herbicides and insecticides. Plant closures and transportation issues due to the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus are being followed closely, but the Canadian industry is reportedly […] Read more