Reading Time: 5 minutes It can boost variable rate mapping. It can help generate guidance maps for the field. It contains the fundamental knowledge for turning an old tractor into an autonomous tractor. And yet the code is available on the internet for free. And Brian Tischler, the central Alberta grain farmer who created AgOpenGPS, is fine with that. […] Read more
Alberta farmer powers ahead with free code for farm equipment
Open source farm tech code is like a cookie -- you can change the recipe any way you want
A (very) small solution to big ag problems
Nanotech may be the future of precision crop protection, says Lethbridge scientist
Reading Time: 4 minutes In just a few years, crop spraying could become largely a thing of the past. Nanotechnology may take its place using its ability to target specific crop pests. Farmers hear a lot of such whizzy claims. But a Lethbridge researcher is so confident in nanotech-based crop protection that he’s working to ensure it doesn’t follow […] Read more
The Big Divide: Are carbon credits a good idea or waste of time?
No one’s against carbon sequestration but the best way to reward good stewardship is a tricky question
Reading Time: 4 minutes Should farmers be paid for the amount of carbon stored in their fields? Or for the practices that put the carbon there? That depends on who you ask. The head of the country’s largest bank recently backed the former, saying a “carbon soil market could be worth as much as $4 billion. But right now, […] Read more
Ford to keep AM radio, CEO says
Amid rising concerns, Canada's premier automaker will not drop AM
Ford Motor Co. has gone back on its plan to phase AM radio out of its vehicles. Ford CEO Jim Farley made the announcement Tuesday via Twitter, after company officials said last month that AM would be dropped from new non-commercial vehicles. “After speaking with policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as […] Read more
Pre-election reports analyze Alberta’s ag issues
Three reports focus on party histories, ag sector concerns, current platforms
Alberta farmers’ concerns with provincial policy, and the two major parties’ stances on those concerns, are the subjects of a three-part analysis leading up to a provincial election on Monday. The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy, a think tank operating out of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, says its three […] Read more
Potential loss of AM radio in vehicles a concern for farmers
Many farmers rely on AM range, signal; U.S. lawmakers launch legislation
Canadian farmers are expressing concern about the possibility of their access to AM radio disappearing. Ford, which has been Canada’s best-selling auto brand since 2009, has stated it plans to stop putting AM radios in non-commercial vehicles by 2024. The automaker’s decision follows those of companies such as Tesla, Mazda and Volkswagen, which have removed […] Read more
Could the next green revolution already be underway here?
Green-on-green spraying isn’t officially available here yet but it’s close
Reading Time: 5 minutes It wasn’t long ago that sprayers able to distinguish weeds in a growing crop were in the ‘maybe someday’ file. But that has changed, and a new green revolution may already be underway. Some Prairie farmers have bought and are using green-on-green sprayers, even though the company involved is still adapting the software to Canadian […] Read more
Indoor ‘mega-farm’ in Calgary getting even bigger
While the facility is the same size, the growing area is being increased by a third and production doubled
Reading Time: 3 minutes An indoor mega-farm set to produce microgreens and baby greens just got even more mega. The facility that will house the “vertical farm” now under construction in southeast Calgary isn’t getting bigger but the growing space inside is jumping to 100,000 square feet from 74,000 previously. “We found, through further engineering, ways of further squeezing […] Read more
A new name, some familiar programs and a bunch of new money
Federal-provincial ag funding deal has new initiatives, old favourites and sizeable grants
Reading Time: 3 minutes Have you been itching to buy temperature and moisture measuring cables for your grain bin? Or maybe an imaging drone or some fancy soil sensors? If so, there may be up to $150,000 available to you. Through its new five-year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Ottawa and the province will split the cost of a number […] Read more
GM buyouts cut 5,000 jobs, CFO says
Not much more room seen to raise prices
Reuters — About 5,000 General Motors salaried workers took buyouts to leave the company, putting the company well on the way to hitting a US$2 billion cost-cutting target, the automaker’s chief financial officer said Tuesday. GM shares were trading down nearly two per cent at midday, even though CFO Paul Jacobson said demand for GM’s […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
