Beyond the “cool” factor, the value of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for farmers comes down to how they help them make more-informed decisions. That includes helping a producer understand plant stand counts across entire fields early in the growing season, explains Kris Poulson, CEO of Casselton, North Dakota-based North Country Ag Services. “If we just talk about… Read More

With corn harvest around the corner, the “push test” can help growers assess plant health and whether lodging will be a problem. As part of this episode of the Corn School, Dieter Schwarz, market develop agronomist for Western Canada with Pride Seeds, discusses the importance of plant health right through the dry-down process. Stalk integrity is critical… Read More

It’s fall again. That means three things: preg-checking, weaning and deciding on replacement heifers. Deciding on replacement heifer numbers should be a process that’s repeated yearly. The overarching goal of an operation should have a bearing on your decision (that is, are you hoping for herd expansion in the long run? Or are you maintaining, or… Read More

Grain prices are in that seasonal rut thanks to #harvest14 selling pressure and favourable planting conditions as South America starts its seeding season. On the speculation side, hedge funds are starting to increase their optimism that grain and oilseed prices will begin to rise. That being said, in the last four decades, an ounce of… Read More

Today, at the Canada-EU Summit in Ottawa, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, signed a formal declaration marking the end of negotiations for the Canada-Europe Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The final text of the deal — more than 1,600 pages long — was also made public for the… Read More

Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, has rolled out mandate letters to each of the provincial departments. Of particular note on the agriculture file headed up by Jeff Leal, Wynne’s set priorities for the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs, under the heading “Ensuring Sustainability of Agriculture,” states:   Strengthening pollinator health. You will work… Read More

The concept of nitrogen fixation in cereal crops is getting some mainstream attention after a trio of 16 year-olds from Ireland won an international prize for their work with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in wheat, barley and oats. The prizes for the 2014 Google Science Fair — the world’s largest science competition for teenagers — were handed… Read More

Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, near Niagara, Ontario, will soon feature the largest greenhouse facility of its kind in Canada, thanks to a $10 million investment by the provincial government. Vineland is well known for its work in fruit and vegetable research and development, and recently commercialized Pixie grapes, a one-of-kind, ornamental dwarf grapevine, and… Read More

There’s never a shortage of things to talk about when it comes to Canadian agriculture. As part of “This Week on Real Ag,” Kelvin touches on harvest progress, cattle herd expansion, General Mills shareholders vote against banning GMO ingredients, confusion about rail penalties and buying fertilizer for next year, among other things. Get caught up on… Read More

After several months without any new cases, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus has been found on two hog farms in Manitoba within the last week. The province’s Chief Veterinary Officer on Thursday confirmed Manitoba’s fourth on-farm case in a sow operation in the southeast corner of the province. Just six days earlier, PED was also… Read More

Iguassu (or Iguazu, Iguacu) Falls borders Argentina and Brazil, its name originating from the Tupi or Guarani language meaning “big water.” With a width of 2.7 kilometers and heights between 60 and 82m, it certainly is big water. They’re taller than Niagara Falls and twice as wide. And it’s not just the falls that are uniquely spectacular…. Read More

It’s hard finding farm safety national stats that go past 2008 – and it’s high time we had some, to figure out trends – but you don’t need hard numbers to know farm safety is vital, especially this time of year.  Farm safety problems peak in the fall, during harvest, when farmers spend long hours… Read More

 

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