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 […] Read more
Farmers Edge launches IPO
Digital ag firm makes first public share offering to big demand
Remote diagnostics blocked by poor internet on farms
Reading Time: < 1 minute Waiting for a dealership tech or mechanic to come to your farm to fix a problem is frustrating for farmers — but also for those who work on equipment. As with home computers or computer-controlled industrial machines, technicians can remotely access the onboard computers on farm equipment. But only if there’s broadband internet. “So on […] Read more
Connectivity ‘grey’ under new trade agreement
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
Federated Co-op buying into ag retailer Blair’s
Central, southeastern Saskatchewan sites to go into new joint venture
The ag retail arm of the Saskatchewan-based Blair’s Family of Companies is set to go into a joint venture with one of Canada’s biggest co-operatives. Blair’s and Federated Co-operatives (FCL) announced last week they’ve reached an agreement to set up a joint venture which, pending regulatory approvals, will own and operate the seven Blair’s ag […] Read more
Ford cuts output of F-150s due to semiconductor shortage
U.S. firm among manufacturers caught off guard
Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it is cutting shifts at two U.S. plants that build its highly profitable flagship F-150 pickup trucks starting next week due to a global shortage of semiconductor chips, raising fears the problem could be worsening. The No. 2 U.S. automaker said it will run one of […] Read more
Carbon tax will increase costs by $12 an acre, says farm group
Costs for drying and shipping grain will soar as carbon tax rises, says APAS
Reading Time: 2 minutes Boosting the carbon tax to $170 per tonne will push up the cost of producing and transporting wheat by $12.50 an acre, says the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS). Three-quarters of that cost will come from the additional cost for propane for drying wheat and from a surcharge that CN and CP Rail will […] Read more
U.S. oil industry seeks unusual alliance with Farm Belt against electric vehicle agenda
'We weren't born yesterday'
New York | Reuters — The U.S. oil industry is seeking to forge an alliance with the nation’s corn growers and biofuel producers to lobby against the Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles, but is so far meeting a cool reception, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions. The effort marks an unusual attempt […] Read more
A fertilizer revolution is on the horizon
IBM says it will produce a breakthrough within five years that will greatly lower the energy needed to make nitrogen fertilizer
Reading Time: 5 minutes As fledgling technology goes, quantum computing sounds as science fiction as it gets. Most people have likely not even heard about it, let alone think it can be used for anything immediately useful. But if IBM fulfills a very bold promise it made in September, crop producers will see the fruits of this technology in […] Read more
Smart Farm partners with Telus Agriculture
Reading Time: < 1 minute Olds College has struck a $1-million partnership with Telus Agriculture that will see the school’s Smart Farm serve as a “living lab to conduct applied research and test the real-world application of new technology in a commercial-scale agriculture setting.” This includes evaluating technology such as internet-connected weather stations and field sensors in live conditions. Telus […] Read more
CNH to work with Microsoft, Accenture on ‘smart’ vehicles
Milan | Reuters — CNH Industrial has set up a five-year collaboration with Microsoft and Accenture to help it to develop “smart” and connected industrial vehicles, the Italian-American vehicle and equipment maker said on Monday. The programme, part of CNH Industrial’s digital transformation plans, is expected to help the group “achieve significant revenue growth,” the […] Read more
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