Hart Attacks: What happened to the “reality check”?

Hart Attacks: What happened to the “reality check”?

Increasingly I am getting the message that the world is running from reality. Maybe it’s been happening for a half million years or so of evolution, but it seems just about every day someone is excited about something artificial being better than “real.” Take food for example. Meat and potatoes (with vegetables in season) kept […] Read more

D’oh, a deer! How to protect your garden and shrubs from deer and moose

D’oh, a deer! How to protect your garden and shrubs from deer and moose

Nice to look at, but also destructive. How to keep cervids away from your property

Moose, elk and deer are members of the family Cervidae (cervids) which includes some 41 species worldwide. In Canada, we have to contend with white-tailed deer (the number one pest), moose (called elk in Europe), mule or black-tailed deer and elk (called red deer in Europe). These animals can be very destructive around farms, acreages and orchards. Here is a list of […] Read more


Investing and the omnipresent impact of the bell curve

Investing and the omnipresent impact of the bell curve

Outstanding performance of the titanium portfolio on its first anniversary

Last year I described my “Titanium Strength Model Portfolio,” based on buying and holding strong stocks. Now it’s time to take a look at my results. How did the portfolio perform? How did it compare to market indices? What other nuggets can we glean that might aid our understanding of portfolio management? What does a […] Read more

Farm Financial Planner: Farm succession through intergenerational money lending

Farm Financial Planner: Farm succession through intergenerational money lending

Lending cash to the kids: A “family bank” can transfer assets to the next generation

A couple we’ll call Bob and Tess, both 59, have farmed in central Manitoba for four decades. Their farm has 3,000 acres, mostly in grain. Bob’s health has declined, and he feels he cannot carry on much longer. Their son, Fred, is 24. He hasn’t been farming, but he would like to supplement his income […] Read more


The ag sector needs to be conscious of how tight its messaging has become.

Toban Dyck: Asking the hard questions of farmers

Don’t be afraid to be the one asking questions. You’re not the only one

He made the comment I was too scared to make. Farmers are required to know a lot and it’s generally assumed by our peers and colleagues that we know the things we’re supposed to. I assume other farmers know the things they’re supposed to know. And we walk on eggshells and implement evasive maneuvers to […] Read more

Canola harvest and grain storage

Canola harvest and grain storage

Q & A with Nutrien Ag Solutions

Q. What factors should I consider when swathing canola with lower plant populations? A. Limited spring moisture combined with insect pressure has led to canola crops with uneven emergence and multiple growth stages. Determining when to swath these crops to maintain maximum economic return can be stressful and confusing. Generally, to maximize both yield and quality, swathing should occur when 60 per […] Read more


Why soybeans need inoculant and how some crops fix nitrogen without it

Why soybeans need inoculant and how some crops fix nitrogen without it

Plus, never do this with inoculant

Next to water, nitrogen is usually the most limiting nutrient in crop production. In prairie agriculture, by far the major source of fixed nitrogen for crop production is nitrogen produced industrially via the Haber process. But nitrogen fixation by legumes is also a very important economic factor in world agriculture. The nitrogen-fixing family of plants, […] Read more

What would you pay to fall in love?

What would you pay to fall in love?

A new face at this year’s Farm Progress Show was getting a lot of attention. Leanne Tregobov was there representing her matchmaking company, Camelot Introductions. With the decline of the Western Producer personal ads, many rural singles looking for dates have turned to the internet. Most online dating is free, and lots of farmers have […] Read more


Top world soya bean importers in 2018.

Oilseed markets in the world of trade disputes

A look at the oilseed export basics sheds light on the potential impact of trade disputes

What’s driving world oilseed markets? Who are the players, and where does Canadian canola fit in? To consider this, I’ll focus on soya beans rather than oil or meal, to provide a simple comparison to bulk canola. I’ll start with world soya bean exporters and importers, then compare soya beans to canola. Global exports of […] Read more

Young Farmer Carrying a Bale of Hay

Make hay while the sun shines. But do it safely

Summer is a busy time. Kids are home from school, ongoing farmyard and machinery maintenance is underway, and of course one of the season’s most labour-intensive tasks looms — haying. Beating the weather and getting hay down, dried, baled and hauled is a major undertaking and not without its particular set of hazards. Crush injuries, runovers, rollovers, pinch points, transportation hazards, fall hazards, stress and anxiety — you […] Read more