Reading Time: 3 minutes What can you do when your crops get pounded by hail? How do crops recover from hail damage? There are a lot of questions about this subject, and little information available. That’s why the team at Farming Smarter developed its own hail damage simulation machine, which it unveiled at the organization’s recent field school. “We […] Read more
Researchers invent their own version of the great white combine
Farming Smarter has created a hail simulator so it can test ‘hail rescue’ treatments
Take a break and grab some agricultural learning
Summer’s always busy but getting away from the farm for a day can really pay off
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s back-to-school season for farmers with a spate of field schools and workshops coming up following the end of seeding. Here are three reasons to spend a day away from the farm and at school: No. 1: It pays Field days are not just about listening to the experts, they’re also events where farmers are […] Read more
Farming Smarter cancels spring crop walks
Producer-run research organization urges farmers to lobby new government for more dollars
Reading Time: 2 minutes A funding shortfall has prompted Farming Smarter to cancel its spring crop walks for 2015. The shortfall resulted from cutbacks by the outgoing Progressive Conservative government, said Ken Coles, general manager of the farmer-run research organization based in Lethbridge. “Even if the new provincial government decides to keep or improve the AOF (Agriculture Opportunities Fund) […] Read more
In dry years, tall stubble can make all the difference in yields
Leaving tall stubble standing in the field can add an inch of soil moisture and boost yields by as much as 17 per cent
Reading Time: 3 minutes Large chunks of Alberta have seen some wet years recently, but water tends to be the most limiting factor for crop growth. And there’s only two remedies when it’s dry: Increase water supply and improve water-use efficiency, says an agrometeorologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Leaving tall stubble in the field does both those things, […] Read more
Three keys to successful on-farm research
Reading Time: 2 minutes The first critical step in research is to keep it simple. “Ask one question, and keep it very specific,” said Farming Smarter researcher Lewis Baarda. “It’s important to keep that as simple as you can and have one research question where you can look at one thing at a time. The simpler you make it, […] Read more
On-farm research done right can save producers big bucks
It takes time and effort, but doing research on your farm means you’re ‘not just flying blind’ when buying costly inputs
Reading Time: 3 minutes There really wasn’t much scientific about Kevin Auch’s first foray into on-farm research almost 30 years ago. “It was basically a visual display of micros being applied by hand in a severely eroded area — there was no measured-out pounds per acre or anything like that,” said the Carmangay-area mixed grain farmer. “All it would […] Read more
Weed competition costing corn growers yield
Corn growers have limited options for controlling Roundup Ready canola in their crops — but Group 27 herbicides offer a ‘good opportunity’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Doug Moisey wouldn’t go so far as to say corn is the “wuss” of the cropping world, but it sure doesn’t put up much of a fight against weeds. “Wuss may be a strong word, but when it comes to weed control, it’s very critical,” said the DuPont Pioneer area agronomist at Farming Smarter’s field […] Read more
There’s a reason why Alberta is Canada’s hemp leader
The ‘dope’ on industrial hemp is that it’s good news for Alberta producers looking for a new crop for their rotation
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farming Smarter – There was a time in Canada’s history when homesteaders received free hemp seeds because the plant products served so many purposes. Hemp seed is a source of food and its stalks provide fibre. Jan Slaski — Alberta’s hemp expert — provided this tidbit of information when he spoke at the Farming Smarter AGM […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
