Rain or shine, drought or not, nitrogen is king when it comes to targeting the highest yields possible in corn. While it may not be a surprise that even in a dry year corn responds to added nitrogen, there’s still work to be done on the economic levels of that response with environmental stewardship in… Read More
Month: January 2013
Versatile rolled out its ML Series drill just a few years ago, but the unique mechanical linkage set up quickly caught the attention of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, a group that awarded the design an AE50 Award designation this year. At last week’s Manitoba Ag Days, Lyndsey Smith asked Trevor Jubenville,… Read More
Keeping track of what has been done on which field, at what rate and when tends to get rather complicated when field numbers start to rise or you end up with several helpers at seeding or spraying. Add rented bin yards, contracts with several companies and the tendency to lose the piece of paper you… Read More
Saskatchewan forage industry members will work together to develop and implement a strategy to improve the sector’s competitiveness and to ensure its long-term prosperity with the help of federal government funding announced this week. Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand this week to announce a $148,000 investment to help the Saskatchewan Forage Council… Read More
Extending the grazing season past the warm weather months isn’t just a great way to save on fuel and time, it also can significantly reduce feeding costs. Bale and swath grazing or grazing stock-piled fields isn’t as difficult as it first appears, though some planning is required. RealAgriculture.com asked Dr. Vern Baron, with AAFC, and… Read More
Farm land values and land rents are a hot topic this winter. JP Gervais of FCC recently gave his thoughts on what’s driving Ontario land values, and University of Guelph’s Alfons Weersink offered insight into making land rent agreements work. As land prices rise, so to do rents, but a constant increase isn’t sustainable. What’s… Read More
The Canadian pulse industry can be proud of what it has accomplished in a relatively short time. From a tiny slice of the acres, to a set crop in many farmers’ rotation, pulses are a made-in-Canada success story. SEE MORE PULSE SCHOOL EPISODES Pulse growers have enjoyed steady growth of their industry and international markets… Read More
In my time with RealAgriculture.com I have seen some great ads, okay ads and some real ineffective ones. Traditional agriculture advertising is very conservative and tends to follow the, “we don’t want to offend anyone” mantra. Well the CWB has stepped out and tried to grab your attention. What do you think. Does this fine… Read More
There are almost always new seed treatment options each year, but not every year offers significantly different products. This year, however, there are new several new offerings that offer something new or completely different than past years. It’s useful to have a handy up-to-date guide on what the real differences and new products are for… Read More
Last week, Dow AgroSciences announced that the launch of its corn lines carrying the Enlist trait would not be available for planting in 2013 in the U.S., as the U.S. regulatory approvals have not been obtained for the trait in corn, nor has the herbicide Enlist Duo received approval. The company is confident approvals will… Read More
If nitrogen is the instant gratification nutrient, phosphorus (P) is the golden nest egg of retirement. Unlike a pension, it won’t take 35 years to see a benefit to using P fertilizer, but it does require constant investment to keep the soil bank account full. The beauty of P fertilizer is that it won’t be… Read More
When plans exist only in our heads and aren’t ever gone through with hard numbers, perceptions can start to over take reality. Crop marketing is no different. Before you get knee deep in the exciting world of futures and options, there’s a preliminary marketing plan to draw up first. In this Ask FarmLink episode, Chris… Read More
Cargill has announced that they will be shutting down its Plainview, Texas Cattle slaughter plant. Cargill cited a shrinking cattle supply as one of the reasons for the decision. Is this a big surprise, not really in terms of the excess capacity that is in North America. For Canada, the near term impact is a… Read More
You don’t mess around with a good thing. Every farm has a tried and true, trusted piece of equipment that you just can’t part with. You know it’s quirks, it’s comfortable…it just works well. The problem now is that technological advancements are available to help you do the job better, but the equipment is out-dated…. Read More
Everyone has an aunt or an uncle or someone that uses “blanket” terminology. You know what I mean, they call blu rays and CD’s DVD’s or call all mp3 players “iPods”. We’re all guilty of it on some level, but the truth is terminology is important. Just ask Tony Vyn about using the terms “drought… Read More