All of the data from monitors, sensors, cameras, and precision tech embedded on its campus farm will end up at Lakeland’s new digital data lab.

Lakeland opens its latest new facility at Vermilion campus

New ag tech centre has state-of-the-art data collection and analysis lab along with a ‘makerspace’ area

Reading Time: < 1 minute Lakeland College has officially opened its new Agriculture Technology Centre, saying it will put students and researchers “at the forefront of the high-tech advancements in agriculture.” And high tech has become a must-have, says college president and CEO Alice Wainwright-Stewart. “Without technological advancements, traditional agriculture can’t keep up with the demands of today’s world,” Wainwright-Stewart […] Read more

The SHARP program is a way to know your land better, improve management practices and demonstrate stewardship efforts, says Melissa Downing, pictured with husband Murray and their children Colten and Rayna.

Using a conservation assessment as a springboard

Program offers a check on wildlife and ranch health, and works with ranchers to make improvements

Reading Time: 4 minutes Sometimes, you don’t know what you’ve got until you have a wildlife habitat assessment done. That was the case for Melissa and Murray Downing, who were among the first to participate in a relatively new initiative by the Alberta Conservation Association. “We learned a lot about the different species that exist here,” said Melissa who […] Read more


A side view of Trimble’s EZ-Pilot Pro guidance system mounted on a tractor’s steering column. (Agriculture.trimble.com)

Trimble dealer shores up cross-Canada coverage

Vantage Canada picks up Ontario rights

The company handling sales and service for Trimble precision ag technology across most of Canada has reached a deal to handle the rest of it. Vantage Canada announced Friday it has bought the Trimble dealership rights and assets for Ontario from Premier Equipment, a John Deere dealership chain with nine locations in the province’s southern […] Read more

Technology updates on the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup, due to be released this fall, are expected to include a new version of Super Cruise, a hands-free driving feature for use on “divided and compatible” highways. (Media.gm.ca)

GM says chip situation improving

All of automaker's pickup truck plants operating

Reuters — Top U.S. automaker General Motors said on Friday the semiconductor chip shortage that has hit production at automakers worldwide was abating, while reporting its first quarterly sales fall in a year. “As we look to the fourth quarter, a steady flow of vehicles held at plants will continue to be released to dealers,” […] Read more


U of A student chosen for Youth Ag Summit

Reading Time: < 1 minute Amanda Hardman from Stony Plain is one of two Canadians chosen to participate in the global Youth Ag Summit, although this year’s event will be a virtual affair.  More than 2,000 youth from almost 100 countries applied for the January event, “a community of global young leaders championing sustainable agriculture and food security” by submitting […] Read more

File photo of equipment tracks over a field in England. (Georgeclerk/E+/Getty Images)

Regulations on gene-edited crops to be eased in England

London | Reuters — Britain’s farming and environment minister George Eustice announced Wednesday that regulations related to gene editing in agricultural research would be eased in England following a public consultation. Rules will now largely be aligned with conventional breeding methods for research and development into plants although scientists will still be required to notify […] Read more


Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou leaves her home to attend a court hearing in Vancouver on Sept. 24, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Jesse Winter)

Huawei executive, U.S. reach deal to dismiss charges

Meng Wanzhou would be allowed to leave Canada

Updated, Sept. 24 — Reuters — Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou has reached an agreement with U.S. prosecutors to end the bank fraud case against her, U.S. prosecutors said on Friday, a move that should allow her to leave Canada and relieve a point of tension between China and the United States. Meng was […] Read more

(Viktorcvetkovic/E+/Getty Images)

Minnesota grain handler targeted in ransomware attack

Company instead issuing handwritten tickets for grain deliveries

Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota agricultural co-operative Crystal Valley said it had been targeted in a ransomware attack in recent days, making it the second Midwestern farm-services provider in a week to be forced to take systems offline due to cybersecurity incidents. Crystal Valley, which sells supplies like fertilizer to farmers and buys their crops, […] Read more


Recording data digitally leads to better management and is more efficient, says RDAR, which is funding a project to accelerate adoption of digital tools.

Digital herd management project gets funding

Three-quarters of cow-calf producers still using pen and paper, says funding body

Reading Time: < 1 minute RDAR, the province’s independent research funding body, has given a grant to a project to encourage cattle producers to swap their pens for digital herd-management technology.  “Seventy-five per cent of cow-calf producers use pen and paper for their herd record-keeping and management,” Results Driven Agriculture Research said in announcing a $43,000 grant to Flokk Systems […] Read more

Schoepp: In a changing world, a host of new questions need answering

Schoepp: In a changing world, a host of new questions need answering

Data ownership and who pays for sustainability measures are just two of many issues farmers must grapple with

Reading Time: 3 minutes There is a lot of pressure on farmers to adopt sustainable practices, digitize, understand carbon, conserve water, and add value. What are the top five areas in which all farmers should be asking questions? And what might those questions be? Carbon credits Although Canada’s goals are towards net-zero carbon emission, there is just as great […] Read more