In January, the National Beef Strategic Planning Group published its strategic goals for 2020 in a paper that brought to light the full depth of funding issues being faced by the industry. “Since the National Check-off was introduced in 2002,” the report reads, “inflation and a reduced number of marketings resulted in less check-off collected,… Read More
Category: Tradeshows & Events
If there’s one job on the farm that everyone fights to have, it’s certainly not picking rocks. It’s a dirty, time-consuming task that never seems to end, and no matter how attentive the operator of the pull-type (or walk-type) picker, there will always be rocks left in the field. Though the Flexxifinger ‘Quicker Picker’ doesn’t… Read More
In 2013, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Grain Commission collaborated on an Options Paper to describe crop variety registration and identify possible changes. From August to November, an online engagement period allowed respondents to support one of four possible options. The first, “allow the flexibility inherent in the current VR system to emerge,”… Read More
The word ‘brand’ is no longer limited to the mark that differentiates livestock. It’s used in business as well, identifying company goals, visions and business characteristics. “We all have a brand,” Faith Matchett,vice president of eastern Ontario and Atlantic operations for Farm Credit Canada, told Lyndsey Smith in an interview. “The question is, do we intentionally have… Read More
Although prices have retreated from the sky-high levels that followed the quality problems around the world last year, durum acres are expected to rise by up to 20 percent in Western Canada in 2015. “With the prices that we’ve seen this year, we should see an increase for acres,” said Alan Hagemeier, a Minneapolis-based merchandiser with CHS Inc…. Read More
Kinze has announced its electric drive metering system will be available in the 3660 12 row and 16 row planters for the spring of 2016. “The adoption rate of new technology and electronics in the agriculture industry is phenomenal,” Susanne Veatch, Kinze’s vice president and chief marketing officer, said in a release. “As farmers ourselves who… Read More
If you’re looking to catch up on what’s been happening in the world of Canadian agriculture, this week’s podcast runs the gamut — from seed companies collecting end point royalties to why some weeds are more prone to herbicide resistance to why McDonald’s is looking to Canada for “sustainable beef.” Here’s “This Week on Real… Read More
Rather than marketing grain right off the combine while basis levels are wide, grain bin manufacturers say they continue to see strong interest from farmers in the Corn Belt in storing more grain on-farm. Whether for marketing or logistical reasons, there are a combination of factors driving the trend, says Jeff Cravens of GSI in the… Read More
A big thanks to the extremely friendly Brandon, MB., for the hospitality this week. Our first TechTour LIVE event was a success, with over 150 participants and tonnes of cheese. As part of the day, we decided to film an episode for our infamous Talking to Farmers segment. We bribed rounded up a group of farmers eager… Read More
You could say the day when tractors “talk” to each other in the field has arrived, as John Deere has expanded its field automation system to include coverage map and guidance line sharing between machines. New Machine Sync features unveiled last month build on the application’s ability to link a combine with a grain cart to allow the combine operator… Read More
Strong new crop prices for flax are expected to drive acres higher again in 2015. “The economics of flax currently make a lot of sense. There are a number of new crop bids in the $12.50 (per bushel) range. Compared to other crops that’s quite profitable, and compared to history that’s quite profitable, so I… Read More
When Mark Muench was frustrated with the strip tillage tool options available to him, he decided to work with Salford to develop a new tool that would tackle the conditions on his farm near Ogden, Iowa. Over a decade of adjusting his soil management practices and equipment went in to getting strip tillage right on… Read More
Sunflowers may rival flax for the honour of “prettiest crop,” but this brightly flowered food and oilseed crop has another rather dubious distinction — disease magnet. From the very ominous sounding phoma black stem, to the insidious sclerotinia, Real Agriculture caught up with Sam Markell, extension plant pathologist with North Dakota State University to talk… Read More
Each farm has its own advantages that make it viable and competitive. So if you sit down and think about it, what’s one piece of technology that gives you that advantage? Or is there something that another farm is doing that you could implement to make your farm more competitive? Each stop on the TechTour… Read More
The wheat market is due for some additional volatility in the weeks leading up to seeding season in North America, says the general manager of FarmLink Marketing Solutions. Sharing the wheat market outlook at Grainworld ’15 in Winnipeg last week, Lawrence Yakielashek (formerly with Toepfer Canada) said he believes the bearish sentiment in the wheat… Read More