The ability to collect machine data wirelessly from farms across Canada is starting to yield practical information that can help farmers become more efficient — evidence that takes colour out of the equation to answer questions like “what’s the optimal engine speed of my model XYZ combine during harvest?” or “should I use a fuel conditioner in my combine?”. There’s… Read More

Satellites are helping depict a clearer picture (literally) of what Canadian farmers grow each year. Accurately predicting and measuring production of each crop grown in Canada has been an ongoing quest for the grain industry and government agencies since farming began in North America. Or at least since the start of the 20th century when E.Cora… Read More

If you ask a farmer or agronomist using a drone for field scouting or other imagery-related applications what type of unit they use, chances are it’s a DJI Phantom. There are many drone manufacturers out there, but the Chinese company has a majority market share, particularly in the market for beginner units. The latest model in DJI’s… Read More

The BIXS beef information platform has signed a deal with one of the biggest data-holders in Canada’s beef industry. Cargill — one of the country’s two largest beef packers — has agreed to provide beef carcass information to the rest of the supply chain through the online data exchange. “Carcass data has been a major roadblock for industry-wide data sharing. With… Read More

SeedMaster has rolled out a new tablet-based platform to help growers with seeding operations this spring. The Axis mobile monitoring system features up to eight wireless, magnetic-mount cameras for monitoring what’s happening during planting or on the road between fields. “The quality of our cameras is very sharp. It’s a 720P camera,” explains Tim Ottenbreit,… Read More

If you are looking to upgrade your farm’s drying capabilities for 2016 you can always buy the latest model dryer – or just go retro. Real Agriculture caught up with GSI’s Conditioning Applications Manager Gary Woodruff at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky to discuss what’s new in the company’s grain storage and… Read More

Do you have a neighbour that seems to always have the latest in technology or buys land without ever thinking about ROI, capacity or profitability?  A fellow farmer that seems to have every single possible device, monitor, gadget, or piece of precision farming gear?  A guy that some mislabel as a “progressive farmer” but they… Read More

Advancements in farm technology often come from major investments in research and development by large companies, but there are still cases where farmer ingenuity is part of developing something new. Matt Reimer, a young farmer from Killarney, Manitoba, has received plenty of attention after posting videos on YouTube last summer of his work automating a John Deere… Read More

Tractors keep getting bigger and bigger, but with the advent of automation, do we really need 500 HP tractors? Ohio State University (OSU) professor Scott Shearer doesn’t think so. He believes future tractors will get a lot smaller and become autonomous units that make farm soils more productive. “The current trend to increasingly larger equipment… Read More

Technology that enhances how we view and experience information is always changing. Whether it’s John Deere’s combine simulator or Magic Leap’s proposed “cinematic reality” device, companies are trying to create interactive life-like experiences for users or potential customers. You might think it’s the kind of stuff you have to go to a tech show in Las… Read More

It’s the year of pulses in more ways than one. We’re covering all the Crop Week and CropSphere events in Saskatoon this week, including the buzz about lentils and peas, the unveiling of Versatile’s retro look and the premiere of a short film on maintaining ag’s social license. A new report shows greenhouse gas emissions… Read More

It’s hard to believe that a mere century ago, Canada was still in the process of installing phonelines. In fact, in February of 1916, Montreal and Vancouver were connected by telephone for the first time ever, a feat that took over 6700km of circuit. The first flip phone appeared 80 years later, followed closely by the first “smart… Read More

An international group of scientists working on mapping the genetic code for wheat say they’ve reached a major milestone that will help them reach their goal several years earlier than expected. The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium project, which is co-led by two Canadians and partly funded by Canadian farmers, announced yesterday it has produced… Read More

The application of “big data” in farming makes sense in theory. More data enables better decision-making, but at the individual farm level it can be difficult to accumulate a large enough sample size for actionable agronomic analysis. Variety XYZ performed well on one field last year, so should you grow more of that variety next year? Or… Read More

 

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