Technology has the capacity to vastly simplify our lives, or take mundane, repetitive tasks and make them easy or automatic. Technological advancements in agriculture have brought us herbicide-tolerant crops, traceability and genomic advancements in livestock, and sectional control and variable rate tech to name a few. But just because a certain technology exists, doesn’t mean… Read More
Category: Technology
Drones, or UAVs, can scout fields, create maps, apply seed, and — eventually — apply pesticides. There are several ways drones are helping farmers and agronomists, but these buzzing bits of tech aren’t a necessarily a one-to-one replacement for sprayers, drills, or even satellite imagery. To discuss what is legal, what’s a good fit, and… Read More
Farm Health Guardian is looking to test its digital biosecurity technology with farms and food companies across Canada. The ideal project participants are farms or food companies with multiple connected sites, such as pig production systems; transport or feed companies looking to verify vehicle biosecurity; and veterinarians who oversee a group of farms with shared… Read More
When considering adopting new technology, thoughts typically turn to costs — what will a new tech save in time or money, or how much will something limit losses or boost yield? But the actual pace of adopting practice changes in agriculture isn’t just held up by ROI, it’s something far more complicated. The adoption gap… Read More
What’s the best planting depth for corn? There’s lots of research that points to a two-inch depth, but there’s growing evidence that planting corn up to three inches deep is a better choice if the seed can access optimum moisture levels at that depth. On this episode of The Sharp Edge, Maizex Seeds agronomist Henry… Read More
In an agricultural context, AI has typically meant making sure animals are bred without needing a bull or ram around. But that’s changing, as artificial intelligence is applied in more areas. Doug Foley, president of Giant Goat, says the data management aspect of AI is already a large part of much of the digital tools… Read More
One of the most common sources of conversation among farmers is the weather. This makes sense, as growers’ livelihoods often depend on the balance between too hot or cold, too wet or too dry. Monitoring environmental conditions throughout the growing season can help growers the necessary decisions that impact final yield. Weather stations are one way… Read More
When fields are wet or the crop is too tall, applying a fungicide by airplane and even helicopter can be a solution. So why then aren’t farmers clear to spray by drone? It all comes down to Transport Canada rules on piloting and approved label uses by product. Currently, there’s only one herbicide with a… Read More
Farmers are keen to use drones for several passes over the field, including using UAVs for scouting and even spraying. But, to date, only one herbicide has been approved for spraying in Canada, and it’s for non-crop applications. Drones have come a long way in the last decade and the potential for agricultural uses are… Read More
Syngenta has announced the integration of the Cool Farm Tool (CFT) into its Cropwise Sustainability (CWS) application. CFT is a globally-recognized carbon quantification tool that allows farmers to measure estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on their farms. By integrated with CWS, farmers can now pair with custom recommendations to reduce their environmental footprint, Syngenta says…. Read More