Farmers from across Western Canada have gathered in Regina to see the the latest in machinery innovation at Fthe arm Progress Show. Real Agriculture has been coming to this show since 2010 and it hass has definitely changed over time, with the increased international visitors, a new competing summer show, and the highs and lows… Read more »
Category: Tradeshows & Events
Deere introduces ‘smarter’ S7 series combine
John Deere’s new S700 series combine made its Canadian debut at the Farm Progress Show in Regina this week. While the physical appearance hasn’t changed much from the S600 lineup launched in 2012, the new machines feature significant improvements in automation designed to optimize performance, explains Deere’s Les Bobyck in the video below. “The machine… Read more »
Watching for ‘Cow Signals’ is time well spent
Every time a cow takes a lame step or stands for a long period of time she’s sending a signal. Farmers who read those signals and respond with efforts to improve cow comfort are rewarded with increased cow longevity and more profit in their pocket. That’s the return on investing in Cow Signals, according to Agribrands… Read more »
Canadian Dairy XPO Attendance Tops 16,000
Dairy producers from across Canada and around the world helped the Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) establish a record attendance earlier this month. Overall, attendance at the Stratford, Ont., dairy industry trade show surpassed 16,000, breaking the attendance record of 14,900, set last year. Those are huge numbers considering there are about 15,000 dairy farms in… Read more »
Farm Credit Economist Sees Possible NAFTA Status Quo
Canada’s largest agriculture lender believes predictions of a re-negotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are premature and a patient strategy is the best path forward for the Canadian government and the country’s supply managed sector. Speaking at the Canadian Dairy XPO last week in Stratford, Ont., Farm Credit Canada agricultural economist Jean-Philippe Gervais told… Read more »
Branding Your Farm Can Make a Difference
What do consumers think of Canadian farmers? Recent studies tell us that consumers appreciate and respect farmers’ efforts to produce healthy, affordable, safe food for Canadians. But to maintain the strength of the Canadian farm brand and consumers’ trust, farmers must continue to be brand champions for their own farms and their industry, says Len… Read more »
Corn School: Knowing vs Hoping — Randy Dowdy’s Principles for Growing Record Yields
There are many aspects of farming that are beyond a farmer’s control (weather, markets…), but there are also variables that can be managed better than they have been in the past, according to the Georgia farmer who has set world corn and soybean yield records. “We make big yields and we blame the weather. We make… Read more »
Spring Harvest, Flattened Cereals & Surprising Optimism for ’17 — Sask. Farmer Roundtable from TechTour Live
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there’s a surprising amount of optimism among Western Canadian farmers heading into the 2017 seeding season (and in many cases, the conclusion of the 2016 harvest.) Jim Hale of Lancer, David Olson of Tisdale, and Trevor Scherman of Battleford, Saskatchewan joined Shaun following the TechTour Live… Read more »
The Confidence of Curiosity — It’s OK to Not Know
As the weeks pass by do you keep your head down without paying much attention to the environment around you? We are all busy in our hectic lives as we try to find time for work, family, and personal time. We become so task oriented as we try to complete seeding, finish that last email,… Read more »
Holy Crap I Married a Farmer! Jolene Brown Talks In-Laws, Leadership, and Popcorn for Supper
If you’ve never heard Jolene Brown, farm family advisor and total firecracker, speak, you’re missing out. Brown spoke recently at the Advancing Women in Agriculture conference in Calgary, and then found some time to sit down with our own Shaun Haney to talk about in-laws, tough decisions, work/life/farm balance, and what family really means. Brown… Read more »
Flood Risk, Tile Drainage, and Good Data — Manitoba Farmer Roundtable from TechTour Live
Despite a wet fall and the potential for flooding this spring, there’s definitely some optimism among Manitoba farmers heading into the 2017 planting season. Shaun sat down with three producers from across the southern portion of the province following the TechTour Live event in Brandon earlier this month. Kyle Friesen of Altona, Dwayne Leslie of Portage and Ron… Read more »
What Will Farmers Do When They No Longer Drive Tractors?
Think about how much time is spent driving on a farm. Sitting in a cab operating a truck or tractor is a fundamental part of what farming is today. So what would farmers do if they didn’t have to spend that time driving machines? As artificial intelligence advances and faster computing speeds enable machine-learning, driving… Read more »
Global Innovation Touches Down at Canadian Dairy XPO April 5 and 6
The Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) returns for its fifth year at the Stratford Rotary Complex April 5 & 6. This year the show coincides with the Spring Discovery Show in Ancaster (April 3 to 6) and the National Holstein Convention in Markham (April 5 to 8). With three national dairy events happening in southwestern Ontario during… Read more »
Creativity is Free: Farm Management Lessons from Disney
“Budgets are always going to be tight, regulatory issues are always going to be confounding, but creativity is free.” Whether we’re talking about employees at Disney or on a North American farm, financial and regulatory constraints will always exist. How businesses perform within those limitations depends on creativity, stresses Doug Lipp, business consultant and author… Read more »
What Does the Future Hold for the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference?
Earlier this month, the Advancing Women in Agriculture conference ran just ahead of the International Women’s Day, creating a great opportunity to celebrate the high value roles that women on the farm and within the agriculture industry. Shaun Haney was in attendance at another successful Advancing Women in Agriculture conference at Calgary, Alta., and, at the conclusion… Read more »