Reading Time: < 1 minute Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia have developed a robotic herder which they say does a better job than humans or dogs. A four-wheeled device nicknamed Robotic Rover has successfully herded dairy cows in tests on the university’s dairy herd. “Removing human judgment from trafficking speed will allow us to ensure that cows […] Read more
Border collies headed for the unemployment line?
Breeding a bigger and better dandelion
Reading Time: < 1 minute Hold on before you fill the sprayer tank next spring — German scientists say they have found a new source of rubber to make tires — dandelions. The German research organization Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and tire manufacturer Continental say they’ve officially started a five-year joint project to commercialize the manufacture of tires from dandelion rubber. The first […] Read more
Fighting fires when the water source is frozen
Reading Time: 3 minutes A grant from DuPont’s FIRE program is helping the Taber Fire Department buy equipment to help them fight fires in situations where access to water is difficult. The volunteer firefighters handle fires and other emergencies over a mainly rural area, as well as the town of Taber. In rural areas, farms may have a dugout […] Read more
Tractor starts after year-long burial in manure pile
Farm operator pled guilty in December last year to a charge of possession of property obtained by crime
Reading Time: 3 minutes For a few days in the summer of 2012 it may have been the most famous tractor in Western Canada, though it would never pull an implement again. But a southern Manitoba equipment dealer who bought the 2009 Case IH Steiger 485 says the unit, long since dismantled for parts, could possibly have been put […] Read moreKubota makes play for Canadian hay tools market
Canadian hay growers in the market for new mowers, rakes or spreaders will see a new player on some dealer lots next year. The Canadian arm of Japanese ag equipment maker Kubota has announced it will launch a new line of Kubota-branded hay tools in Canada in 2014. Norwegian farm equipment manufacturer Kverneland, which Kubota […] Read more
Mississippi River reopens after fuel spill
The upper Mississippi River reopened to vessel traffic near Le Claire, Iowa, late on Tuesday following a day-long closure triggered by a fuel leak from a tow boat that struck an underwater object and sank, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday. The river, which was closed late Monday from mile marker 493 to 501 about […] Read more
Mississippi River still shut after fuel spill
The Mississippi River remained closed to navigation along an eight-mile stretch near Le Claire, Iowa, on Tuesday after a boat containing up to 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil struck a submerged object and sank late on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. One northbound towboat with no barges and two southbound towboats […] Read more
CWB takes direct stake in Prairie grain handling
The grain company formerly known as the Canadian Wheat Board has made its first hands-on play in the Prairie grain handling game. Winnipeg-based CWB on Tuesday announced an agreement to buy the grain handling and port terminal assets from the Soumat arm of Toronto’s Upper Lakes Group Inc. (ULGI) for an undisclosed sum. The deal, […] Read more
N.Y. investors buy Ont. tillage firm Salford
Grown worldwide from its roots as a cultivator maker in southwestern Ontario, Salford Farm Machinery has now attracted Manhattan money. New York private equity firm GenNx360 Capital Partners, which bills itself as a backer of “middle-market industrial business-to-business” companies, announced Thursday it’s bought control of Salford for an undisclosed sum. Salford said its manufacture of […] Read more
Deere sees Canada/U.S. ag equipment demand slipping
Lower commodity prices are expected to have a “dampening” effect on Canadian and U.S. farmers’ demand for new iron, green or otherwise, in 2014. Deere and Co., releasing its fourth-quarter and year-end results on Wednesday, predicted industry-wide sales for farm machinery in the U.S. and Canada will slip five to 10 percent in 2014 from […] Read more
