Editor’s note: This is the second edition of a new weekly markets column authored by Brennan Turner, founder of FarmLead. Check out www.FarmLead.com for more, and find Brennan on Twitter as @FarmLead. The second week of March saw some wild price swing as the market focused on Monday’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from the… Read More
Category: Features
What shape is your farm record keeping system in? Do you write things into a journal? Do you write your records on a sheet of paper and then watch it blow around the truck all summer and possibly out the window as you drive down the highways at 120 km/h. There are other options. Get… Read More
By Bernard Tobin Satellites and smart phones are poised to deliver a new level of biosecurity that could keep farmers one step ahead of disease. As Canadian pork producers struggle to contain the spread of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) on their farms, a new company, Be Seen Be Safe, is rolling out a satellite-based… Read More
No longer just a concept, Google Glass is moving ever closer to a face near you. This very hands-free but completely web-connected device has moved from theory to real-life-testing in an incredibly short period of time. But what can Google Glass do, and, more importantly, will you look ridiculous wearing them? See more: Click here… Read More
Editor’s note: This is the first edition of a new weekly markets column authored by Brennan Turner, founder of FarmLead. Check out www.FarmLead.com for more, and find Brennan on Twitter as @FarmLead. Grains in the first week of March were fairly volatile thanks to the situation in Ukraine standing on a razor’s edge. The market… Read More
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a series called Gaining Ground. Written by Rob Wallbridge, Gaining Ground is focused on cultural management practices applicable for any production system, with a heavy emphasis on soil management. See the first article in the series here. What if I told you there were monsters on your… Read More
Farm safety leaders are convinced talking is as necessary as safety equipment and training in preventing farm injuries. So maybe it’s not surprising the theme for this year’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, which runs March 9-15, is Farm Safety: Let’s Talk About It. Dean Anderson of Guelph, Ont., the agricultural program manager for Workplace Safety… Read More
There’s incredible effort and expense put in to growing a crop. Once it’s in the bin, however, the job is only mostly done. Storing grain safely, especially over the long term, means keeping tabs on bin conditions. Bin monitors and sensors are the first step — how you track and monitor what those sensors are… Read More
It’s March and I can almost taste spring. Certainly the thermometer around here isn’t part of that – but the slightly longer days and that first day of spring marked on the calendar for later this month – has me longing for it. Dream with me of those warm spring nights in the field filling… Read More
By Terry Betker When the planets align and the growing season weather is perfect, and there are production shortfalls in other parts of the world and the markets respond positively, and when you’re able to price into market highs, life on the farm can be very rewarding. A possible scenario? Perhaps, but likely it’ll only… Read More
What costs the canola crop the most in yield each year? Lack of fertility? Harvest losses? Spoilage in storage? Swath timing? The question isn’t actually entirely fair, as we can’t necessarily answer this question precisely, but we can most certainly start to stack up the evidence to support or refute each of these management areas’… Read More
By Shane Thomas Plant nutrients are always big driving factors in how our crops yield, with macronutrients getting the majority of the attention. However, micronutrients can be limiting factors in a lot of our cropping systems, especially for those really pushing yield with intense management. One micronutrient that gets discussed a lot is copper. This… Read More
It’s early morning on a bright, clear day. The sun is just starting to climb. There’s a heavy dew on the crop. Should you still head out to spray? Well, the dew is one thing, but there’s a much larger factor at play here that should factor in your decision. Whether or not you should… Read More
Can I just say now that I am SO glad to see tail lights on this month? February may be the shortest month of the year, but the combination of wicked weather (third coldest winter on record that Manitoba has experienced), a busy schedule and a plague-like illness has made this month feel 10 days… Read More
I suspect there will be a lot of angst over the new federal farm review and forecast – even though statistically, it’s a good news story. The report, released last week, showed farmers produced 96.5 million tonnes of grain in 2013. That’s a major leap over the previous year’s relatively dismal 76.7-million tonne crop, which… Read More