Book review: If you like agriculture and history and wanted to know more about the rise and fall of the Canadian Wheat Board, the new book by former CWB farmer-director Ken Motiuk is a good read.
Hart Attacks
New book reveals details leading to CWB’s exit
Lee Hart reviews Culture of Control by Alberta farmer Ken Motiuk
The case of the mystery tractor
There wasn’t much to go on, but an expert was able to solve the case
Darren Lorentz didn’t hold out much hope of figuring out the make and model of a farm tractor from just the rusted-out frame of the machine that had sat in the brush near a popular southwest Edmonton park pathway for decades. As a community resident walking the pathways of Tomas Opalinski Park for nearly 40 […] Read more
Sclerotinia control in canola
Growing hybrid varieties with improved disease resistance and other agronomic benefits can help protect your yields
Reducing and/or preventing yield losses caused by sclerotinia in canola takes a multi-pronged approach, says a research scientist with Corteva Agriscience. Scott McClinchey, a canola breeder based in Guelph, Ont., says farmers can’t change the weather but they do have other measures within their control to help minimize the effect of the disease on their […] Read more
Time for the ‘Big R’ has come
About 10,000 interviews and 45 billion words later there’s nothing left to say — almost
By about this time next week — October 20 to be exact — I will be retired. After about 50 years of writing and editing and rarely missing a deadline, October 20 is my last day of full-time employment. October 20 is my birthday. I will be turning 71 (where the heck did that number […] Read more
Are we going somewhere in a handbasket?
I thought the government was looking after us but maybe I had the wrong country
Where did everybody go? One of the mysteries that has confused me in recent months as we sorta, somewhat, maybe turn the corner on this COVID thing is where did all the workers go? I’m sure it is as noticeable on the farm or in rural communities as much as it is in the city. […] Read more
Olds College takes a hands-on look at new technology
Park the tractor. Learning how to seed the field and spray crops with an unmanned drill and field sprayer is just another day in the life of students in 2022
When I get digging through old photos … look out! I often find something from my days on the farm in the mid-20th century that in today’s era of technology probably has closer ties to the 1700s. This fuzzy photo of a kid riding a milk cow is the first livestock tracking system my dad […] Read more
Can you put a price on a smart dog?
The politically correct answer is no, but when it comes to pets, I think I might have a limit
Although we haven’t had a dog full time in the house for many years, there never seems to be one too far away. Both our daughter and son have or have had dogs at different times and we end up dog-sitting. Also, friends and other family members go on holidays and need dog-sitters. So, we […] Read more
Customer service endangered but not extinct
Occasionally someone does pick up the phone and says, “How can I help?”
Perhaps you live in a customer service Utopia, but in my world, because good customer service is such a fleeting experience, I felt the need to share a happy story when it does happen. Nothing earth shattering, but it does renew my faith in humanity, at least a little. I’m one of those Fitbit people. […] Read more
An attitude of gratitude
All the hardships in the world just remind me to be grateful for where I am, what I have
I’m so friggin’ positive some days I should have been a farmer. I haven’t done an extensive survey, but the few producers I have talked to in recent weeks on the phone or met at farm shows or producer meetings, are all positively gearing up for the 2022 growing season. Yes, there was disappointment and […] Read more
This pandemic ain’t over yet
Aside from human health issues, other ramifications are just emerging
Global pandemic or not, I just hope the shelves at either of the Canadian Tire stores within 10 minutes of my house do not go bare over the coming weeks. There are just a lot of things, like perhaps a 250-piece wrench set that complements the 125-piece screwdriver set I bought last year that I […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
