What will agronomy look like five or ten years from now? Will drones and automation have replaced agronomists and field walks? There’s no denying that technology definitely plays a larger role in his job than it used to, says Shane Thomas, agronomist with Yara Canada. From field mapping software, to variable rate capabilities, NDVI readings,… Read More
The province of Saskatchewan is looking for creative ways to connect a regular Joe (or Jane) to a land owner to get permission to access land. While attending and speaking at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) convention, Premier Scott Moe announced this Innovation Challenge. The challenge comes after changes to The Trespass to… Read More
AgJunction Inc. is bringing autosteer to smaller farms and older tractors that have difficultly accessing the advanced guidance precision agriculture application. At the National Farm Machinery Show at Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month, AgJunction launched the Wheelman Pro and Wheelman Flex — simple, affordable autosteering systems powered by the Whirl app. In this interview, AgJunction chief marketing officer Jeff Morris notes… Read More
What is something you don’t know about your farm right now that you’d like to know? Is there technology out there to solve a particular problem you have? When it comes to navigating the very noisy space that is farm technology, Rob Saik, agrologist and agriculture technology leader, says these questions are a good place… Read More
Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) has, until now, never developed an app. Until now, that is, with the launch of a new app called CAM. The Cereal Aphid Manager (CAM) is the first app ever developed by AAFC. Dale Leftwich, RealAgriculture’s Saskatchewan field editor, met with Tyler Wist, field crop entomology research scientist with AAFC,… Read More
When bin sensors first came along it was a huge improvement over simply shoving a metal rod through the bin door in some ways. Because sensors are tethered though, you still end up with a linear — rather than a randomly distributed —set of measurements. This means you are not actually measuring a good portion… Read More
What if you could just point your phone at a weed and the phone would tell you what you were looking at? At one time it was a huge breakthrough to be able to take a picture of a weed and send a text message to an agronomist. It still is in fact, but sometimes… Read More
For some, technology like autonomous tractors and unmanned aerial vehicles offer great interest; for others, the quick advancements in robotics and data are overwhelming and intimidating. Will we soon see job losses? Will human presence on farms be made obsolete? Not at all, says Christine Su, co-founder and CEO of PastureMap, a company that makes… Read More
Farmers invest a lot to produce a crop, from before the seed hits the ground through to the harvest. With all the investment and technology that goes into producing a crop, why stop short when the grain hits the bin? Some of the most successful farmers are using technology to ensure they have the information they… Read More
The wealth of information available to producers though digital ag platforms has created some on-farm data management issues. A survey earlier this year shows most producers are gathering agronomic data electronically, but many are not yet using that data for management purposes. Could that change, as companies try to make it easier to put data… Read More
FarmLead, North America’s Grain Marketplace, announced today the launch of the FarmLead Basis Negotiation feature on its leading trade platform. The new feature allows buyers and sellers to post and negotiate basis contracts in addition to the existing options of cash contracts. The announcement complements the company’s continued expansion across North America. The new feature… Read More
Just as people in smaller cities are getting the opportunity to experience the ride-sharing service Uber, the company is launching a new way to get a load of freight hauled. Uber Freight is launching in the United States, providing a way for drivers and customers to get hitched through an Uber-based service. According to the Uber blog: Uber… Read More
Dairy Quality Inc. and its mobile milk testing device was the big winner at Ontario’s 10th annual Premier’s Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Premier Kathleen Wynne presented the Premier’s award – the province’s highest honour for outstanding contributions in innovation to the agri-food sector – to the Newmarket-based company. Its mobile testing device helps dairy farmers… Read More
Farmers and ranchers have always been interested in technology, especially if it enhances profitability. The rate of change of products and services coming to market is extremely fast. Silicon Valley and traditional agriculture businesses such as John Deere and Bayer are all trying to establish their footholds in the future of digital farming. At the… Read More
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough used to carry five or six scouting and management guides when he headed out to scout fields. Those days are gone. Now he just reaches into his pocket, pulls out his smart phone and opens his Pest Manager App. The Pest Manager app,… Read More