The gene gun, the first of which literally used a .22-calibre bullet, was invented by plant geneticists working at Cornell University in the 1980s as a way of injecting DNA into plant cells. The technology made the process of introducing new genetic material to many major crops, including corn and wheat, much more efficient, helping to create plants with resistance… Read More

Bruce Vandenberg knows all about the challenges and opportunities of milking goats. He got into the business in 1989 and over the past 25 years has built Mariposa Dairy Ltd., the second-largest processor of milk goat cheese in Canada. Speaking at the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO, Vandenberg explained that his home farm now milks about… Read More

Glyphosate-resistant kochia has started showing up in more of Western Canada, and as with other cases of resistance, it’s becoming evident you can’t rely on a single tool for too long. Minimizing resistant weed populations requires an integrated or diverse approach. The crop itself must help make survival difficult for potentially resistant weed seedlings, explains Rob… Read More

Having your tractor hop up a hill is never a good feeling. Besides being downright uncomfortable, it’s a powerful reminder that the tractor isn’t operating to its full potential (think fuel consumption, tire wear and drawbar performance). But proper ballasting can be a big job, making it an easy job to overlook. That’s where John Deere’s new, aptly named, EZ… Read More

The Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame (OAHF) has a new home at the Ontario AgriCentre in Guelph. Hall of Fame members and ag industry representatives gathered on Friday to officially open the new gallery, which features a unique combination of history and technology to accommodate OAHF’s 210 inductees. For the past 36 years, the Hall… Read More

As the US dairy industry struggles with low milk prices, a number of trends continue to drive a make over of the country’s dairy farm operations. Overall, the size of farm operations continues to grow rapidly, says Mark Stephenson, University of Wisconsin’s Director of Dairy Policy Analysis. Stephenson told farmers attending the Canadian Dairy XPO… Read More

Dairy farmers are all too familiar with the external signs of mastitis – from swollen quarters to excessive heat and hardening of the udder wall. At the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO, Alltech Canada’s Dr. Roger Scaletti performed a tissue analysis of an udder to give producers an inside look at where milk comes from and… Read More

After losing an Ontario Court of Appeal decision on the province’s new seed treatment regulations, what strategy should Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) now pursue on the neonic issue? We put the question to GFO chair Mark Brock. We’re also interested in your opinion. It appears the farm organization has three strategic options. Let us… Read More

Responding to rapidly climbing demand from consumers and food companies, a Saskatoon-based company is quadrupling its contracted acres of quinoa production this spring. Northern Quinoa owns the lone Canadian-developed variety of quinoa and is one of only a few buyers of the pseudocereal crop in the country. The company has been growing and producing a small… Read More

When farmers search for ways to better manage cover crops, seed treatments such as neonicotinoids don’t readily come to mind. But that could change if research results from University of Guelph weed scientist Dr. Clarence Swanton are proven in field tests. In this episode of Corn School, Real Agriculture resident agronomist Peter Johnson sits down with… Read More

Dairy farmers who make the switch to robot milkers are very predictable, says Brussels, Ontario farmer Joe Terpstra. When Terpstra and three other dairy producers took to the stage at the 2016 Canadian Dairy XPO to share their experiences with robot milking, all four seemed to be singing from the same songbook. Improved cow health,… Read More

Many of the new innovations from machinery companies at Agritechnica’s 2015 show seemed to be inspired by transportation issues, and the Seagull Telescopic Reel from STW srl Italy was no exception. The harvester header combines the aforementioned telescopic reel technology with a folding cutting platform to compress widths during transport, allowing the header to shrink to one-third… Read More

Does a cow need to have a calf to give milk? The answer should be obvious, but more than 70% of consumers get the question wrong explains University of Guelph associate professor Mike Von Massow. A majority of Canadians also believe that a chicken is processed for meat when it reaches four years of age…. Read More

 

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