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Maple Leaf

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Listen to a few of our greatest hits!

Sometimes, you just want to sit back and let someone read articles out to you. Well, we’ve enabled audio on some of our articles that have consistently been rated the highest by farmers. Now, instead of reading and scrolling, you can listen to these articles. We’ll literally read them out loud to you!

Before we start recording all the timeless content or the latest insights, we would like to know what you think! Rate this new audio feature by following the easy steps below:

Step 1

Listen to any of the articles below. Consider if listening to the audio version of the article is a way you can see yourself enjoying more Grainews content.

les henry
By Dave Bedard

Soil scientist and Grainews columnist Les Henry, 1940-2024

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

The wheat midge is orange in colour and closely resembles a mosquito because of its small size.
By Jim Timlick

Going, not gone: Some hot spots remain for midge

Recent low wheat midge counts no guarantee the problem won't return

canola stems showing blackleg infection
By Jim Timlick

Machine learning may help get a leg up on blackleg

AI-backed research results may help growers better manage the risk of blackleg in canola crops

Agco’s new FarmerCore program aims to help dealers identify how best to enhance and expand their services across their sales territories.
By Scott Garvey

Agco introduces FarmerCore dealer program

A retail-level development initiative aims to improve the company's overall service to farmers

Kit Pharo says ranchers can increase their production per acre and their profitability.
By Heather Smith Thomas

A key to cattle business survival

Produce more pounds of beef per acre versus more pounds per cow, this U.S. rancher says

A study shows that in terms of response to moisture-related stress, the crop type is more important than the specific variety.
By Mark Halsall

Curb risk from moisture stress for less

A Manitoba agronomist offers up some tips for farmers on a budget

Crucifer flea beetles, shown here on cabbage, are considered by growers to be among the greatest economic risks to canola crops.
By Jim Timlick

Canola's least wanted

Experts discuss pests and pathogens canola growers will want to watch for in 2024

aerial photo of irregularly shaped manitoba cropland
By Lee Hart

Bless your mess: Crops may not be best for underperforming acres

Taking poorer-producing ‘messy’ landscapes out of crops may improve fields’ economics and farms’ sustainability

Listen to a few of our greatest hits!
By Scott Garvey

Big news from John Deere in 2025

Bigger tractors, new combines and air carts debut for 2025 model year

Tile drains are perforated plastic pipes installed below the crop rooting zone, used to reduce the depth of shallow water tables in imperfectly and poorly drained areas of a field. This pipe has a filter sock to prevent sediment from getting into the tile system.
By Jim Timlick

Make it drain: Is tile right for your fields?

A producer and an agrologist consider whether tile is worth your while

A Case IH Steiger 385 tractor upgraded with a new Trimble GFX system for tillage and NH3 applications.
By Jim Timlick

Old equipment, new life: Cost-effective tech upgrades

An ag tech expert talks about how existing farm machinery can be upgraded to perform at the same level as new equipment

a 60-foot Pillar disc drill to seed hard red spring wheat
By Lee Hart

Earlier-than-early seeding

These farmers use soil temperature, rather than the calendar, to time seeding wheat

The young Packard’s grasshopper is green with black scattered dots that resemble pepper. The adult version seen here is grey to dark yellow with two light-coloured stripes behind the eyes and grey forewings.
By Jim Timlick

Grasshoppers: Brace for impact

The past year was bad for grasshoppers on the Prairies and 2024 could be worse, experts warn

Boasting a power rating of 673, the Fendt MT 1167n Vario is the biggest model in Agco’s tractor stable.
By Scott Garvey

The horsepower race is back on again

Recent tractor models boast increased power ratings at most brands

a yellow combine covered in dusty pasty gunk
By Jim Timlick

Powdery mildew in 2023: a severe nuisance

At harvest, spore buildup can coat equipment, reducing visibility and creating a potential fire hazard

The Agrifac AiCPlus uses an algorithm that can be developed for each weed in the field seen with the naked eye.
By Jim Timlick

Spot sprayer economics

Does this technology make sense for your farm? ROI isn’t the only consideration

An entomologist with the University of Manitoba stresses that farmers can be proactive in protecting predator and parasitoid populations.
By Mark Halsall

Predators and parasitoids – your bug buddies in the field

How to spot and protect beneficial bugs in your crops

A strip tiller in action on a Farming Smarter field near Lethbridge, Alta.
By Mark Halsall

Let's talk strip tillage

An Alberta farmer shares his experiences with the system that provides a middle ground between full till and no till

Low-lying areas with standing water are prone to leaching and denitrification.
By Jim Timlick

Nitrification and urease inhibitors

Before you buy, understand when and where these products will provide the greatest economic benefit to your farm

“On some of our hay land, they ate the alfalfa down to where it’s gone completely.” Shawn Kramer.
By Mark Halsall

Prairie pest offers ‘a tough battle’

Strychnine may no longer be an option for swelling ground squirrel populations, but other effective tactics are available

Listen to a few of our greatest hits!
By Jim Timlick

‘Perfect storm’ for grasshoppers

The conditions are right for pest-type grasshoppers in Saskatchewan. Consider both insecticides and cultural controls

Timing of post-harvest spray applications is an important factor to consider. For example, some perennial weeds like Canada thistle require four to six weeks to regrow for a post-harvest herbicide application to be effective, which can be difficult in areas that receive early snowfalls.
By Jim Timlick

Tips and strategies for pre- and post-harvest weed control

While in-field scouting tops the list, also consider post-spray followups, detailed record keeping, weed assessments, water quality and more

Wheat midge could be a concern this year in both Saskatchewan and Alberta.
By Mark Halsall

Prairie insect pest outlook for 2023

Grasshoppers top the threat list but flea beetles, wheat midge, lygus bug, cutworms, bertha army worm and wheat stem sawfly are also risks in some areas

Mycosphaerella blight (shown in photo) may pose a disease threat to pea crops in Alberta.
By Jim Timlick

Prairie crop disease outlook for 2023

Your provincial experts guide you through disease pressures and risks for this season

With the increasing incidence of herbicide resistance, producers must adjust their strategies to manage kochia and other resistant weeds.
By Jim Timlick

Your provincial weed outlook for 2023

Make sure these weeds are on your radar this year

Step 2

Tell us what you think. Using the form below, let us know how likely you would be to listen to audio articles when they become available. If you love the idea and would recommend it to other farmers, give it a 10. If you hate it, give it a 0. And please let us know why!

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