Can robots effectively milk cows on large U.S. dairy farms? That’s a question Plymouth, Indiana farmer Brian Houin is determined to answer at his family-owned Homestead Dairy operation. Canadian farmers have had tremendous success using robot milkers in smaller dairy operations, but Houin is putting the milking machines to the test on a whole new level. In… Read More
What a week in Wisconsin. When I arrived at the annual World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, early last week, farmers across the U.S. were still trying to understand the potential impact that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) could have on their farms. Early television reports featured emotional farmers sharing tearful thanks for a new… Read More
Increased access to the Canadian dairy market through the newly minted United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) will not be a boon for U.S. dairy farmers. That’s the early verdict from Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “I think the dairy producers are not going to look at their… Read More
Anaerobic digesters have popped up on farms across Ontario in recent years, but there are none quite like the digester Rob McKinlay has installed at Harcolm Farms at Beachville, Ontario. What makes it unique is its size – at 20 kilowatts, it’s 10- to 20-times smaller than the other 42 digesters currently operating on Ontario… Read More
Corn stalks have become a significant management challenge for many growers. Better corn hybrids, higher yields, bigger plants, and fewer corn borers to break down stalks mean more farmers are turning to tillage to tackle crop residue. At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS), a host of tillage manufacturers and retailers took to a harvested corn… Read More
Marcel Kringe has taken his combine remote drop pan and separator east to show Ontario farmers how the innovation can reduce harvest losses. Manitoba-based Kringe, who hatched the idea with a co-worker while working as a custom combine driver, brought the Bushel Plus combine calibration system to Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) earlier this month…. Read More
Maintaining proper combine setup as field conditions change throughout a day of harvesting is always a challenge. But that job is about to get a lot easier for operators of CR Revelation combines with new IntelliSense automation system, says New Holland. The goal of IntelliSense is to help combine operators manage and adjust quickly to the… Read More
The Siloking eTruck gives dairy producers a clean, comfortable, and convenient way to feed cows with lots of traction for manoeuvring in narrow and low-height barn constructions. The 100 per cent electric-powered vertical mixer is imported from Tittmoning, Germany by Siloking Canada, which set up business in Putnam, ON, two years ago. RealAgriculture took a… Read More
Can dissolved urea increase your wheat yield? If it burns the crop will it still put more bushels in the bin? In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School we catch up with our resident agronomist Peter Johnson as he inspects a field of winter wheat that received 15 gallons per acre of dissolved urea with… Read More
It’s time for corn growers to take a hard look at variable rate planting. That was agronomist Pat Lynch’s message to growers as they watched variable rate planters in action at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show (COFS) in Woodstock, Ontario. In this episode of RealAgriculture’s Corn School, Lynch says the ability to adjust seed population while… Read More
There’s a new tool available for growers in the fight against herbicide-resistant weeds, such as Canada fleabane. Corteva Agriscience has launched Elevore, a Group 4 herbicide option for pre-plant burndown of broadleaf weeds, including glyphosate-resistant Canada fleabane, in both field corn and soybeans. Last week at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, Dave Kloppenburg, Corteva’s Canadian category leader… Read More
SeCan’s annual Grow A Leader program has raised $52,716 to support 4-H Canada in 2018. Over its five-year history, the program has contributed more than $250,000 to support 4-H across the country. “4-H is all about developing rural leaders and that’s what we’re doing when we support this program,” says SeCan communications manager Brenda Trask. “We… Read More
Herbicide resistance is nothing new to Ontario farmers. It all started in 1973 when triazine-resistant lamb’s-quarters were found on a farm near Ripley, Ontario. Group 2 herbicide-resistant weeds were first documented in 1996. Fast forward to 2018, and we find that the province is now home to a host of glyphosate-resistant weeds including Canada fleabane, giant… Read More
The new Roll-Belt round baler with a Kombi wrapper from New Holland allows producers to bale and wrap simultaneously, eliminating the need to make a second pass with a tractor and bale wrapper. New Holland says the baler-wrapper, which debuted at the recent Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, will also significantly reduce regrowth damage and the… Read More
Over the last decade, the average yield increase for corn tips the scale at five bushels per acre, per year. During the same period wheat yield gains have averaged a meagre one bushel per acre, per year. What is the future of wheat if it can’t match the yield gains of crops like corn and… Read More