Reading Time: 3 minutes In a year like 2015, the little things add up. “If we get lots of moisture early in the spring, you can just about broadcast your canola and it will grow,” Dan Orchard said at the Farming Smarter conference earlier this month. “But when years are tough, that’s when a lot of these little things […] Read more
Ten is the magic number for canola
Cinderella story: Canola crushes yield expectations despite rocky start
Whatever the reason for the surprisingly good yields, growers urged to stick to recommended practices this spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year was a head-scratcher for canola growers across the Prairies. “For a lot of our producers, it was a drought year, with a bumper crop and a wet harvest — those things shouldn’t go together,” said Keith Gabert, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada. This year looked like it would be a wreck […] Read more
Mamma mia! They don’t make gelato like this in Italy
A pulse-based version of the Italian ice-cream treat takes top prize at Mission ImPULSEible
Reading Time: 3 minutes If someone were to tell you that one day you could sample dairy-free gelato made from fermented beans — and actually enjoy it — you might think that was impossible. Well, when you’re at Mission ImPULSEible, nothing is impossible. “I never cease to be amazed at the unique ways that pulses can be processed into […] Read more
What a year for cattle — but sharpen your pencils for 2016
Market expert Anne Wasko says a 3.5-million-head increase in the U.S. herd is going to be the story going forward
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle prices may be ending the year on a low note, but even so, it’s been a record-breaking run. “Averages are averages, but 2015 will go down in the record books for the cycle highs for Canada,” said Anne Wasko, marketing analyst with Gateway Livestock Marketing. “Everybody’s focusing on today, and of course, the market’s […] Read more
How farm safety legislation played out in Manitoba
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Alberta government has suggested its farm workplace rules are going to be very similar to other provinces So what does that look like? Perhaps the best example is Manitoba, where in 2009 the NDP government extended workplace, health and safety rules to farms and made workers’ compensation compulsory. Doug Chorney was president of Keystone […] Read more
Big Blow-Up: Workplace legislation has farmers up in arms
Skimpy consultation and lack of answers upsets Alberta farmers, even those who say the status quo wasn’t acceptable
Reading Time: 6 minutes The NDP government said it just wanted to make farms more safe, but instead ignited a firestorm. But faced with massive outrage and demonstrations from farmers and ranchers to Bill 6, the government backtracked and apologized for what it called “miscommunication.” “Myself, MLAs, ministers, and our premier have all heard from farmers and ranchers who […] Read more
Looking to improve spray coverage? Try pulse width modulation
Pulse width modulation maintains spray pressure and droplet size at different travel speeds
Reading Time: 2 minutes Nozzle guy’ Tom Wolf is often asked about ways to improve spray coverage. But as he says — borrowing a turn of phrase from Paul Simon — “there must be 50 ways to improve your coverage.” And one of them is through pulse width modulation — a relatively new technology that’s “on the move.” “I […] Read more
Boosting the bottom line through better pasture management
It’s about more sunlight, rain, and forage types — and never overgrazing
Reading Time: 3 minutes If farming these days is all about managing inputs, then grazing comes down to managing the land itself — the sunlight, water, minerals, and biodiversity that make pasture lands grow. “We can’t control the price of oil; we can’t control the cost of steel for making farming equipment; but we can manage and control these […] Read more
Trade deal could be a ‘huge’ shot in the arm for barley acres
Barley acres have been plunging, but the Pacific trade pact could be a game changer
Reading Time: 3 minutes Barley could get a major boost from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. “The potential to value add on a feed product, which is usually considered to be the bottom end of the market, is huge here, and that’s much better than exporting a raw product,” said Doug Robertson, president of the Western Barley Growers Association. […] Read more
Looking at wheat in a very different way
Who buys your wheat and what do they want? Cigi program offers a whole new perspective
Reading Time: 3 minutes Like most Prairie farmers, John Guelly didn’t give a lot of thought to his wheat after unloading it at the elevator. But that changed after a trip to Winnipeg last February for Cigi’s Combine to Customer program. The Westlock producer applied for the program because he was “curious to see what all goes on there” […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
