Investing in digital agriculture can be a daunting experience. A producer’s best bet, one northeastern Saskatchewan farmer says, is to do your homework and find a purpose for it on your farm. “You have got to have the root purpose of why you got that technology. Either that or you talk to others to help […] Read more
At Ag in Motion: Find a purpose, then buy tech, Prairie grower says
No matter how cutting-edge, digital ag needs to be a fit on your farm
Could the next green revolution already be underway here?
Green-on-green spraying isn’t officially available here yet but it’s close
Reading Time: 5 minutes It wasn’t long ago that sprayers able to distinguish weeds in a growing crop were in the ‘maybe someday’ file. But that has changed, and a new green revolution may already be underway. Some Prairie farmers have bought and are using green-on-green sprayers, even though the company involved is still adapting the software to Canadian […] Read more
Imagine moving your cattle with just a swipe on a smartphone
Nofence is already in use in Europe and now researchers are putting it to the test here
Reading Time: 4 minutes The idea is appealing: Imagine moving your cattle from the comfort of your armchair or while you’re away from the ranch. And it could become reality, says a University of Alberta professor who is testing Nofence collars, a product that its Norwegian maker bills as “the world’s first virtual fence for livestock.” “We see a […] Read more
Venture capitalists urged to check out Alberta ag tech
Hempalta and Livestock Water Recycling are two companies featured on influential Top 50 list
Reading Time: 3 minutes Two Alberta companies — one making hemp products and the other recycling livestock manure — are among the most investable clean tech ventures in the country. Hempalta Inc. and Livestock Water Recycling, both headquartered in Calgary, are two of eight ag-focused technology companies on the 2022 Foresight 50 list. The list is compiled annually by […] Read more
‘High-speed’ internet is coming to rural areas — but the yardsticks have moved
Basic high speed will be fine for many, but farming is increasingly a business that needs serious bandwidth
Reading Time: 3 minutes Government’s definition of high-speed internet for rural areas isn’t all that high, especially for farmers taking advantage of new technology. The problem is that the provincial government’s minimum standard (50 megabits per second for downloads and 10 mbps for uploads) is the same baseline Ottawa set seven years ago, and a lot has changed since […] Read more
LIFE ON THE EDGE: Three farmers share their experiences with precision ag
It’s not just the tech, but finding a way to make the farm more efficient and the decisions better
Reading Time: 5 minutes There were undoubtedly a lot of double takes when folks drove by Rob Stone’s farm last summer when he was out scouting. That’s because the Saskatchewan producer was accompanied by a robot that wouldn’t look out of place on a lunar expedition, although it’s also been described as looking like a “glorified card table” on […] Read more
China must raise self-reliance in ag tech, Xi says
Seed industry seen as weak link in food chain
Beijing | Reuters — President Xi Jinping wants China to accelerate efforts to achieve self-reliance in agricultural technology, identifying seed development and core equipment among areas to focus on, state media reported. The central leadership had said in 2020 that the country’s seed industry was a weak link in the food chain and needed to […] Read more
Drones are ready to go spraying but regs haven’t kept up
Larger drones now a viable alternative but federal rules don’t allow spraying crop protection products
Reading Time: 4 minutes A single drone can fly into rough terrain and spray herbicide on hard-to-reach patches of weeds. Fly three of the largest in tandem and they have the airborne equivalent of a 100-foot spray boom, say proponents, with a cost one-quarter to one-third that of a 100-foot boom. Welcome to the world of drones that can […] Read more
Opinion: It’s time to shine a light on the dark side of social media
Farmers should know better than most how quickly misinformation spreads in online echo chambers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Social media is undermining our shared reality, and those of us in the agriculture sector need to take better note of the trend. Why? Because not doing so could result in a continued separation between rural and urban Canada, as well as one another. Social media is a drug of sorts, in […] Read more
No shortage of innovative ag products at Agri-Trade
Equipment expo has a ‘tough job’ in picking just five finalists for its AgInnovations showdown
Reading Time: 4 minutes Technology continues to change one of the oldest professions – farming. Showcasing some of the latest agricultural technology is at the heart of the AgInnovation contest at Agri-Trade, the annual ag equipment expo in Red Deer. This is the 14th year for the competition, which culminates with five finalists making five-minute pitches before a live […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
