Reading Time: 4 minutes Sure, drones are cool and all. But when it comes to your farm, it’s all about the data they gather — and figuring out how to use all that info. “Ultimately, that is what’s going to change the way we manage our crops, by giving us better information about them,” Markus Weber, president of Edmonton-based […] Read more
The last big challenge for drones
Advanced technology to spot disease, pest, and health issues early on is already here — but using that data still has many challenges
Will the cows of tomorrow all be wearing fitness trackers?
Devices that measure activity levels can be used to tell if cattle are feeling poorly — but there are still some kinks to be worked out
Reading Time: 2 minutes Fitness trackers are all the rage among people these days — but they could catch on with cows, too. But the idea isn’t to start counting cow steps or to up bovine fitness levels. Rather, the goal is to use fitness monitors as a way to detect illness in beef cattle early on. Cattle producers […] Read more
VIDEO: Driverless tractors and open-source software
Reimer Robotics takes first prize in Manitoba Ag Days Inventors' Showcase
Reading Time: < 1 minute Matthew Reimer was as surprised as anyone when he was awarded first prize for his driverless tractor system at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon on Jan. 20, but his invention is worthy of the title. The Inventors’ Showcase winner, and president of Reimer Robotics, has built a system to move tractors – driverless no less, with […] Read more
Tech conference brings together bright minds to ‘hack’ ag industry issues
The Emerging Agriculture conference Jan. 9-11 aims to foster ag industry innovations
Reading Time: 3 minutes Move over, Silicon Valley — hackers will soon be setting their sights on Saskatoon to solve the industry’s biggest problems. The agriculture industry, that is. “Emerging Agriculture is a weekend hackathon where we get students and non-students interested in agriculture together to collaborate on agriculture-based technology and ideas, and hopefully make some startup companies out […] Read more
New edition of CropChoice$ crop-planning software available
Reading Time: < 1 minute CropChoice$ 2015 is now available. Producers can plug their yields from the 2015 harvest into the software and find whether their cropping plan can break even or make a profit. They can also enter target gross margins to see if they can achieve them. The software can analyze up to 40 dryland and irrigated crops […] Read more
Agri-Trade awards showcase new and innovative technologies
Keeping spray consistent, reducing plugging in air drills, and a new field app garner Ag Innovation awards
Reading Time: 3 minutes Innovations drive the agriculture industry — and it’s at farm shows like Agri-Trade where producers get a front and centre look at what’s new and different. For the past eight years, the Red Deer show has highlighted that with its Ag Innovation awards program. This year’s winners — chosen by a panel of farmers — […] Read more
App offers instant link to bee disease info
The free app will be enhanced to allow picture uploads, and that will boost the bee pest surveillance database
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta beekeepers will have better access to bee disease and treatment information through a new mobile app developed by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. The free app for iPhone and Android is an easy-to-use tool that will link beekeepers to pictures and current information about pests, diseases and recommended management practices. “Our province has one of […] Read more
Making room for youth — and youthful thinking — in farming
Young farmers love technology and are excited by change, but they’re often penned in by the walls of tradition
Reading Time: 4 minutes Farmers often lament the lack of youth in agriculture. I would argue that this is not true — there are a lot more baby strollers than walkers at major agricultural conferences, especially ones where technology is highlighted. There may be fewer young farmers, but the young men and women farming today have a broader reach […] Read more
Harvest loss: An app and Top 10 tips
Reading Time: < 1 minute Here are two resources for calculating and reducing harvest loss. The Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association has created a free app — SSCA Harvest Loss Calculator — for iPhones and iPads. The tool allows the user to enter the amount of seed in a sampling area of known size, either in weight, volume, or kernel number. […] Read more
Variable-rate irrigation on the rise in Alberta
Not everyone is convinced the technology is where it needs to be, but advocates say ‘interest is growing exponentially’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Southern Alberta’s irrigation system is on the cusp of going very high tech. Now that crop yield monitoring is commonplace and variable-rate crop-input technology making inroads, ag equipment companies and early adopters of advanced technology are setting their sights on micromanaging irrigation. “Variable-rate irrigation (VRI) is certainly here to stay,” said Jeff Bronsch, president of […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
