The customer is always right, but who is the customer? If you’re a grocery store or a coffee shop trying to stay on-trend, is it consumer opinion that matters most, or those of your shareholders, as the pressure for profits rises? “The demands of the average consumer are pretty intuitive — they want affordable, tasty… Read More
The integration between Alberta Wheat and Alberta Barley has been extremely successful, says Tom Steve, executive director with the now one-year-old Alberta Wheat and Barley Commission. “We’ve realized cost savings of about $350,000 a year,” Steve says. “A lot is related to salaries for sure, but we have a stronger management team now that’s focussed… Read More
Passionate about learning and teaching, Brian Tischler is no stranger to the agriculture tech world and farming. Just last year he was successful in building his own autonomous tractor. He continues to be an advocate for the autonomous, open-source tech world, and during his talk at CropConnect this year it’s no surprise the room was filled… Read More
Farm conference season is a time to learn new things, ask questions, and lay out plans for what you might try out on your farm this year. It can also be a super busy time for those who attend meetings, but for some who speak to the various crowds it can also bounce you around… Read More
Collaboration at a provincial and national level and a focus on international markets will be top of mind for Alberta Pulse Growers’ new chair. The Alberta Pulse Growers (APG) held its annual general meeting last month at FarmTech at Edmonton, where Don Shepert was elected chair of the producer organization. RealAgriculture’s news lead, Jessika Guse… Read More
It’s been just over a week since the 20th anniversary edition of FarmTech took place in Edmonton, Alta. The event was another success according to Rick Taillieu, who’s been on planning committee for the entire 20 years, adding it was no surprise it sold out once again. Taillieu chuckles when he thinks back to the early days… Read More
John Guelly, farmer from Westlock, Alta., was recently elected chair of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission (ACPC). He has become known in some areas as “Mr. Clubroot,” largely as a result his work to remove the stigma from having clubroot, and being the founding member of Clubroot Anonymous. He recently sat down to talk with… Read More
Talking about transitioning the farm business can be tricky, especially when there’s a bit of an age gap. The Goods know all too well what that’s like, as Merle, owner of GRS Consulting, has been in the process of transitioning his own farm to his daughter Annessa. They’re also working on Annessa stepping up to take… Read More
Any golfer will tell you that sometimes you have to go back to the fundamentals to find success. You make sure your feet are planted in the right place and then you build from there. The same analogy works for hockey, or welding, and even farming. RealAgRadio host Shaun Haney and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada… Read More
A crowd favourite for his excellent knowledge of weather trends and forecasts, Drew Lerner, of World Weather Inc., was one of many speakers at FarmTech this year. Although often busy due to his willingness to share his insights, Lerner was able to stop by the RealAg Lounge to give producers a feel for what’s to come… Read More
If you’re like many western Canadian grain farmers, you put the bulk of the year’s fertilizer on in the spring. That practice means you need the most informed data in front of you before the growing season to determine how much of which nutrient goes where — preferably as close as possible to amount needed… Read More
Call it a pause, though maybe not a correction, in the farmland value trend in Canada. It’s not a complete surprise, given the bull run land values have been on for years, but what does it mean for those looking to buy, sell, or rent? J.P. Gervais, chief agriculture economist with Farm Credit Canada, says… Read More
Speakers from all over the country and the world are brought to FarmTech, and for one of this year’s keynote speakers, they didn’t have to go far to find someone great to talk about politics. Tasha Kheiriddin, a Global News Radio host and political pundit from Toronto, Ont., says she was quite impressed with what… Read More
FarmTech is a great place to run into people you know and to meet people who you should know. A regular here on RealAgriculture, Tom Wolf, spray guru at Sprayers 101, brought along his friend Dr. Jim Wilson to FarmTech this year. Wilson previously worked for South Dakota State University as the extension pesticide education… Read More
In case you missed it, there are new rules and regulations regarding Class 1 driver training and licensing coming to Alberta March 1, 2019. The new rules — which significantly increase the number of training hours required to attain a Class 1 — were consulted on for one week last July. News to you? You’re… Read More
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