If there’s enough crop-available moisture, putting on additional inputs could be a money-making proposition
Reading Time: 3 minutes You may not be able to make it rain, but you can make the most of the rain you get with a little help from soil moisture probes. “When you know what’s happening below the soil surface and what’s there for soil moisture, there’s a lot of clarity that can be had,” said Kendall Gee, […] Read more
Looking beyond the (soil) surface to assess yield potential
If there's enough crop-available moisture, putting on additional inputs could be a money-making proposition
Eyeball your way to range health
Keep an eye out for these five things to see if your rangeland is living up to its potential
Reading Time: 4 minutes The most important tools you have to assess the health of your rangeland are your own two eyes. “What a range health assessment does is provides a measure of how well rangelands are performing key functions,” said Ross Adams, range management specialist with Alberta Environment and Parks. “It would be difficult and expensive to go […] Read more
Pandemic speeding up adoption of technology
Online ordering and virtual contracts commonplace, traceability and autonomous machines getting new push
Reading Time: 5 minutes Like it or not, the farm of the future will run on technology — and that future has become ever closer because of COVID-19. “It’s been a pretty big disruption for a lot of businesses,” said Wes Anderson, senior fertility specialist at CropPro Consulting. “It has forced a lot of our clients to use technology […] Read more
One in 10 ag societies could close their doors by next year
There’s been no government aid, revenues have fallen to near zero, and reserves have been used up
Reading Time: 4 minutes Two world wars couldn’t stop them. The Spanish flu couldn’t shut them down. But if government support doesn’t come soon, COVID-19 might do what those global crises couldn’t — close the doors forever on century-old agriculture societies across the country. “I’ll be honest, we have less than six months,” said Jenelle Saskiw, general manager of […] Read more
Protect the unsung heroes of your grazing lands — riparian areas
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for riparian health, but there are some basic principles you can apply
Reading Time: 4 minutes They’re the green places amidst the brown in the heat of a dry August — those spaces between the land and water where life grows abundantly, where roots drive down deep, where animals graze and birds nest. Those small but mighty riparian areas don’t get the credit — or the care — that they deserve. […] Read more
Resistant insect populations growing in southern Alberta
Insecticide-resistant alfalfa weevils are cropping up in alfalfa seed-growing regions, and beneficial bugs may be the answer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Insecticide-resistant insects have flown under the radar on the Canadian Prairies — but researchers are keeping an eye on a growing population of them in southern Alberta. “We don’t have very many insects that are resistant to insecticides here on the Prairies, so luckily, it’s not that widespread of an issue,” said Boyd Mori, researcher […] Read more
Now is the second-best time to create your business plan
Business plans boost profitability but during a crisis, they also help you ‘sleep at night’
Reading Time: 3 minutes COVID-19 has a lot of farmers dusting off their risk management strategies, but if a business plan isn’t part of that, you’re likely sacrificing your bottom line — and your peace of mind. “We know that farmers are very stressed, but we also know that business planning can help,” said Heather Watson, executive director of […] Read more
Top 12 tax-saving tips for your farm
Some require help from an accountant or adviser, but others are things you can do yourself
Reading Time: 4 minutes Every farmer wants to pay less in taxes, but it can be hard to know where to find those savings. “How do you feel confident you’re paying the least amount of tax possible? It’s tough,” said Carman Praski, business development representative at Farm Business Consultants. At the recent Ag in Motion virtual conference, Praski offered […] Read more
Pandemic fallout could get very grim before it gets better
The coming recession will be deep, and ‘revenge and blame’ will roil global markets, say experts
Reading Time: 5 minutes No one needs more bad news, but the pandemic is causing upheaval around the world and will produce a ‘very deep’ recession, say two leading economic experts. “The trade sanctions and the trade issues over the past couple of years were just a precursor of what may occur into the future,” said David Kohl, professor […] Read more
Alberta companies join Black Lives Matter beer fundraiser
Reading Time: 4 minutes Bringing people together over a beer. That’s the goal of several businesses from across central Alberta that have joined forces to create a fundraiser beer to support the Black Lives Matter movement. “Beer is a great equalizer. You can break down a lot of barriers just by sitting down and having a beer with someone,” […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
