We’re heading into the apex of summer weather (and the volatility that can come with it). It’s corn pollination and soybean pod-setting season, while combines are starting to run on the earliest seeded pulses and cereals in the U.S. and even parts of Canada. More than anything, the market is mostly trading rain clouds and… Read more »
Category: United States
Norbert Beaujot’s vision for DOT
The launch of the autonomous DOT Power Platform this week was the result of a three year quest to make farm equipment more efficient in the context of the labour shortage in farming, says Norbert Beaujot. The U-shaped robot is attracting plenty of attention at Ag in Motion near Langham, Saskatchewan, with crowds watching as… Read more »
President Trump says U.S. gained access into China for beef because he asked for it
Negotiating trade deals to increase market access is typically not easy. Non-tariff barriers, thickening borders, and increased commerce bureaucracy all make access to global markets and free trade very difficult. But what if market access could be made easier by just asking for it. Why didn’t former Presidents, NCBA and a handful of U.S. Trade… Read more »
Grain bag drying system wins gold award
The requirement that grain must be dry enough to store without conditioning has been the primary drawback for storing grain in grain bags. The DryloBag is designed to be a solution, enabling aeration and heating of grain for long-term storage in plastic polyethylene bags. The innovation, originally developed for peanuts in South Africa, received the… Read more »
MYFB — Ep. 26: Before the funeral home
Building a successful farm takes many years of hard work and dedication. That’s well understood. But what it takes to continue that success into the next generation is often forgotten, or put off until it’s too late. What comes next? What will happen to my business when I am no longer able to run it?… Read more »
Blood test can identify litter-limiting genetic problem in pigs
A lab has been established in Guelph to screen boars with a genetic abnormality that results in smaller litters. The abnormality happens naturally, when cells divide. “Sometimes, the genes just don’t line up the way they should when cells are developing,” says University of Guelph Prof. Allan King, who established the lab. That results in… Read more »
Cooling off? — This Week in the Grain Market
Grain prices over the first two weeks of July are still swinging a bit wildly as the market is trying to price in the recent heat. Scorching temperatures hit most of North America before the USDA came out with their July WASDE report on July 12th, 2017. The report was met with some bearish skepticism,… Read more »
Soybean School: Getting fungicide timing right
A stretch of sunny, dry weather in Ontario has soybeans on the comeback trail. That also means that soybean fungicide timing is sneaking up on many growers as the crop picks up steam in mid July. In this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School, BASF agronomist Ken Currah takes a closer look at the soybean fungicide… Read more »
Wheat Pete’s Word, July 12: Corn fungicides, fertilizer strategies, and capitalizing on protein premiums
In this week’s episode of Wheat Pete’s Word, RealAg agronomist Peter Johnson highlights corn fungicides and western bean cutworm control. He also talks about what a fun ride the wheat market has been on — are there any management opportunity to capitalize on those protein premiums? Peter wraps up this episode discussing equipment and fertilizer… Read more »
Wheat School: Late nitrogen pumps up protein and profits
Surging wheat markets mean there’s plenty of profit potential in high protein wheat, and Peter Johnson has some tips to help you cash in on those premiums. In this episode of RealAgriculture Wheat School, Johnson, our resident agronomist and shameless wheat promoter, shares protein management insights for growers in Western Canada and spring wheat growers… Read more »
Global youth talk mental health at 4-H summit
Mental health challenges on the farm are not restricted to operators, or even their spouses…they affect their kids, too. And that’s one reason the Global 4-H Network Summit has dedicated a session to mental health and awareness when leaders from 70 countries converge in Ottawa this week. On Friday, July 14, the final day of… Read more »
Halftime analysis in the grain markets
As we turn the calendar into July, we’re taking a look back at the markets over the last six months. We’ll also offer our expectations for the balance of 2017. In our 2017 Grain Markets Forecast (posted in January), we made several timestamped projections. You can review them here at your convenience. The U.S. Federal… Read more »
Amity brings back Concord name on new drill
Built from the late 70s through the mid 90s, there are still more than a few of the original Concord drills in operation in Western Canada and the Northern U.S. Around 6,000 Concord drills were built, with around 2,000 sold in Canada, but the name disappeared on new seeding equipment after Concord Inc. was bought… Read more »
Agriculture stress is real and we need to keep talking about it
The agriculture community is full of very strong-willed, independent people that excel at what they do. We also take pride in helping each other out. But the fact remains that farmers and ranchers fall short on identifying and discussing the need for help when it comes to mental health. One of our industry’s greatest strengths… Read more »
Why the Canadian ethanol industry could be set to grow
In Canada we do not talk about biofuel production like they do in the United States. I attend many farmer meetings across the country and rarely do I hear talk on the agenda or in the hallways about ethanol or biodiesel production in Canada. In the U.S. ethanol production is a major user of the… Read more »