Reading Time: 5 minutes Kyler Laird did it the John Deere way when he returned to the family farm in Indiana after his father’s death in 2010. But after five years of sitting in a tractor, planting crooked rows of corn, he decided to do it his way instead. “Even when I was a kid out discing or out […] Read more
Robo-tractors invented by farmers are already here
Software-savvy producers aren’t waiting for equipment makers — they’re writing code and automating their machines
Meet DOT: the self-driving power implement
A Saskatchewan-based company has developed an autonomous tractor — minus the tractor
Reading Time: 6 minutes Bigger doesn’t always mean better — but that’s been the story of farm machinery for decades. However, could the era of huge, hulking tractors and the big implements they pull be coming to an end? Norbert Beaujot thinks so, even though the founder of SeedMaster spent most of his career building some of those increasingly […] Read more
The ‘eyes’ have it — the key to better sales, that is
High-tech eye tracking technology literally gives insights into the buying decisions of consumers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Want to get more customers in the door? Get rid of potholes in the parking lot and put an inverted V-shaped canopy over the entrance. Want to boost sales? Put fewer items on the shelf and lower the height of display benches. That was some of the advice offered to Alberta garden centre owners by […] Read more
Buckle up — workplace safety rules may be in for a rough ride
Mandatory seatbelt use is among several ‘pretty big’ regulations that don’t make sense, says the AgCoalition
Reading Time: 5 minutes Over the objections of its farmer members, a committee has recommended the province make seatbelt use mandatory in tractors, combines, and other farm equipment. Forcing farmers to buckle up is just one — although likely the most controversial — of 142 recommendations from four “technical working groups” established to turn Bill 6 into actual occupational […] Read more
Are there old explosives on your farm or ranch?
The RCMP says it regularly gets reports of degraded dynamite and detonators, and even grenades
Reading Time: < 1 minute Not so long ago, Alberta farmers and ranchers had easy access to dynamite and detonators. Because of these old rules, there is a large — but unquantified — amount of degraded dynamite in the province. Every year, many Albertans report finding dynamite or detonators stored, or in some cases forgotten, on their properties. Anyone who […] Read more
Official says ‘One Seat, One Rider’ should be the rule on every farm
Machinery accidents cause the majority of fatalities among children on the farm
Reading Time: 2 minutes Daddy, can I have a ride?’ “Riding on the tractor with Dad has been a long-standing tradition for many farm families,” said Janice Donkers, youth farm safety co-ordinator with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “It’s not uncommon to hear the older generations boast about how young they were when they first began riding on or operating […] Read more
Innovation with the most unlikely material shows all is possible
Human waste has always been a problem, but it is increasingly seen as a resource and that’s spurring the creation of new technologies
Reading Time: 3 minutes I still spend a lot of time in airports and love to use that time to read interesting stories on people, places, politics, science, and technology. It brings to light all that is possible in our world. A little writeup caught my eye in regards to human waste which is a growing problem. In many […] Read more
Seeding smartphone tips
Cellphones have been dubbed “smartphones” but sometimes the way folks are addicted to them causes dumb problems. I’ve read three articles that suggest that cellphones are creating isolation, poorer communication and less robust relationships. Stress rises when there is a million-dollar crop to get in the ground, excess moisture, and too many jobs for the[...]
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Olds College to create ‘smart agriculture’ centre
Reading Time: < 1 minute Olds College has been given a $16-million donation it will use to create an institute specializing in ‘smart agriculture.’ The Werklund Agriculture Institute will use big data, technology, and enhanced Internet connectivity to increase the quality and quantity of agricultural production. The funding is a gift from David Werklund, an entrepreneur best known for his[...]
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The four factors that are changing agriculture
Don’t look back, the world is changing far too fast, says an American author and farmer
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re not ready to adapt and communicate with the public, you could lose your place in agriculture. “In agriculture, we tend to hang on to the best of the past,” said Jolene Brown, farmer, author and well-known speaker. “You’ve all heard the phrase, ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you will get[...]
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Cyber-Savvy Farmer
