Canola harvest is still a few months away, but it’s still a good time to get familiar with your combine. Last weeks “Picking up Profits” combine clinic put on by the Canola Council of Canada brought industry experts as well as a number of different combine manufacturers together in an effort to help producers limit… Read More
Category: Machinery
If you talk about controlled traffic farming in Alberta, you’ll only come up with a handful of names of farmers involved in the practice. Steve Laroque is one of those farmers. We talked to Steve a while back about his involvement in controlled traffic farming and why he thought it had the potential to fit… Read More
When you’re looking at controlling costs on the farm, the issue of overlapping with seed and fertilizer can be a big one. Especially in crops like canola, over seeding and over application of fertilizer can have a very negative impact on growth and development and end up being very costly for the farmer. Controlling that… Read More
Proper storage options for your crops are critically important both before you plant and after you harvest. In most cases, maintaining quality while in storage after harvest means maintaining your crops value. Keeping your seed free from moisture and bugs prior to planting can help preserve and maintain things like germ and vigor. In the… Read More
In this episode of talking to farmers we go back to the grounds at the Western Farm Progress Show in Regina,Saskatchewan where we asked farmers who they thought made the best four wheel drive tractor on the market. In a year like this, where the four wheel drive component of almost every tractor across the… Read More
Everyone does love an auction, and why not, there’s usually something there for everyone. It’s an event that sends bargain hunters and collectors out en masse to look for that “good deal” or that “rare gem” or even that spare part nobody makes anymore. The only problem is that you usually hear about those “good… Read More
Trash can be a major pain for farmers using independent openers come seeding time, especially if residue isn’t managed properly off the combine at harvest. Straw and other material can accumulate around the drill shank pretty quickly affecting seed depth and placement. If you’re running any drill with independent openers, navigating through trashy stubble can… Read More
With the high use of super b’s by many farmers in farm yards to move grain, one of the frustrations is the ability to get the auger properly positioned underneath the hoppers. This can especially be a challenge at night during harvest and when unloading alone. It would appear the Sakundiak has come up with… Read More
Aeration is quickly becoming another important component in most farmers harvest strategy. Weather conditions over the past few years have shown farmers that the window for both seeding and harvesting can be short. With most farms getting bigger, that window can be too short to wait for ideal crop conditions. Leaving the crop in field… Read More
One of the coolest things about trade shows is the “hot off the press” angle many manufacturers take in showcasing their products. This year at the Western Farm Progress Show in Regina, I saw a number of those products. Some of the products are so new, they don’t have pricing yet. It makes for a… Read More
With all this wet weather, disease concerns start to come into play, and protection against things like septoria, powdery mildew, and fusarium head blight become very important. As we look at providing that protection, proper application becomes critical. When spraying fungicides there are many considerations that need to be taken into account. Nozzle selection, nozzle… Read More
With the supremely wet weather that has been significantly delaying corn and soybean. Another one of the impacts of this wet weather is the need to consider fungicides for your wheat crop. Wet conditions tend to bring on disease and that can dampen your yield expectations if not handled accordingly. Phil Needham is a leading… Read More
Blog post by John Guelly, BSc, P.Eng Wheat and Canola Farmer and Ag Engineer at Westlock, AB So we just ordered a new tractor, state of the art 2011 JD 8260R, complete with all the bells and whistles. We sold our old tractor to some neighbors and I asked them if they also were interested… Read More
As you dig out the drifts around your seeder and brush the snow off of it, there is a bit of a pre-seed inspection to be done. There is the standard replacement of broken parts that has to be done, but there are also the small bugs and glitches that hold up the process as… Read More
The way that feedyard owners handle cattle has a massive impact on gains and the overall health of the animal. Many of you have used the snake and tub concept originally designed by Temple Grandin (i think?) When I was at the NCBA convention I ran into a very cool booth that was giving live… Read More