U of M holds first tractor safety day

Last weekend I found myself sitting in the local Tim Hortons having coffee with a retired farmer. He was missing some fingers on his left hand from an amputation. And it made me think of how many retired — and current — farmers I know just in this area that have similar injuries from a[...]

I’m sorry, Scott. I’m afraid I can’t do that

Last week I was riding high—figuratively and literally. I had a 2017 F-350 four-wheel drive, Powerstroke pickup at my disposal for a full seven days. Equipped with a Lariat trim package, this truck had no shortage of high-end features and a host of computer-controlled smart technology. Of course, Ford didn’t just give me this truck[...]


24 hours of the Condor

As I look out my office window at one of the worst March storms I’ve ever seen, it’s hard to believe that equipment will likely be running through prairie fields in only two months. All anyone can do on days like this is daydream about those warm spring and summer afternoons. So when a press[...]

A tractor manufacturer on the fast track

JCB’s chief innovation and growth officer Tim Burnhope was beaming as he stood on stage in a theatre at the company’s Rocester England World Headquarters. He was there to introduce JCB’s newest ag machines to members of the farm media invited there from most of the countries the brand sells into. The biggest news Burnhope[...]


Bourgault offers smaller TransFold drill

This is what we call the little brother to the 100-foot we released last year,” said Rob Fagnou, marketing specialist at Bourgault, as he stood beside the brand’s new 80-foot, centre-folding 3420 paralink hoe drill during Canada’s Farm Progress Show in June. “The demand for the 80-foot was strong with this type of folding system[...]

Bin probe provides instant temperature reading

Keeping tabs on the temperature of stored grain is critical to ensuring producers don’t lose money from spoilage. Increasing internal bin temperature readings are an indication stored grain is at risk. Jason Diehl of Dimos Labtronics was showing his company’s Wi-Fi grain probe at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon. It’s designed to provide an easy[...]


Specialty gauge for aeration bins

A few people using aeration bins may be content just to confirm some airflow is coming out the top, but getting an adequate volume of air moving through the grain is critical to ensure efficient drying. Determining how many cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) is actually moving through any bin, though, depends on[...]

New skid-steer tire option

At last year’s Manitoba Ag Days show in Brandon, Evolution Wheel of Winnipeg debuted its all-steel wheel replacement for skid-steer loaders. The idea was to offer a wheel that provided improved traction and removed the risk of tire damage from hazards. This year, the company introduced another wheel option for producers who want those benefits[...]


Playing by the rules

Maybe you’re old enough to remember when Detroit automakers sent out their first cars with pollution control systems in the early 1970s. The car companies were forced to reduce tailpipe emissions and the car-buying public didn’t exactly meet those first, rather complex systems with overwhelming approval. The first thing many owners did after getting their[...]

Kioti grows up, and into utilities

Kioti wants to be a bigger player in the mainstream ag tractor market. As part of that effort, it recently added three more models to the top end of its relatively new PX Series. Prior to the introduction of these new machines, the brand was really only a player in the compact and sub-compact tractor[...]