Farm Financial Planner: Retiring farmer selling off the farm

Farm Financial Planner: Retiring farmer selling off the farm

With no spouse and a disabled nephew, this Saskatchewan farmer is ready to close up shop

In northwestern Sask-atchewan, a 63-year old farmer we’ll call Rorie runs a mixed grain and cattle operation on 12 quarters of land. Helped by Sam, his 43-year old nephew, Rorie, who has never been married, keeps five quarters in wheat and oilseeds and grazes 80 cows on the remaining seven quarters. Rorie has a lot […] Read more



researcher in wheat field

Respectable research reporting

It’s harder than you might expect to report accurately on the latest agronomy research

I’m a fan of ag research. When I’m reporting on new ag research, I do my best to figure out how the study was set up and whether there are any major flaws. I try to communicate this to readers. I have one of Les Henry’s columns on farm research taped next to my computer, […] Read more


flea beetles on a canola pod

Keys to flea beetle control in canola crops

Agronomy tips... from the field

The important thing to understand about flea beetles is that they overwinter as adults — and it’s those adults that do all the feeding on your seedlings come the spring. Your canola crop is most vulnerable to flea beetle feeding from the cotyledon stage at emergence up until it reaches the three- or four-leaf stage. […] Read more

Build a farm budget with AgExpert

Make the most of your farm financial software by using it to develop your annual budget

The beginning of the new year is a good time to plan your farm budget. You can use the Budget Management Tool included with AgExpert Analyst to estimate your farm’s projected income, expenses and net profit for the year. When you’re projecting your farm’s income, take into consideration expected production such as crop yields, livestock […] Read more


Walter Decker, egg barn manager at the Riverbend Hutterite Colony at Mossleigh, south of Calgary with one of the laying hens in their new barn outfitted with an enriched cage system.


Let’s open the barn doors

Hart Attacks: Positive changes are coming in the livestock production world

As I was recently reading about the Canadian egg industry’s commitment to turn its ocean liner around, I figured a motion was in order — if consumers and the food industry are so concerned about animals produced “free range” or in loose housing, farmers should just turn everything loose and then charge four times as […] Read more

Last fall, I broke 120-acres of pastureland with a Wishek disc. Going over recently tilled pastureland a second time with a Wishek disc could be considered an extreme sport.

Reading the farm machinery classifieds

Toban Dyck is new to reading machinery classifieds, but now he’s hooked

It may be a stage I’ll pass through on my way to becoming the farm’s big cheese, head honcho, big man on campus, but I have become quite focused on farm products and machinery. I scour the “agriculture” section of the classifieds more now than ever before (that bar is low, as I didn’t really […] Read more



Some speakers noted that when the U.S. dollar falls, the Canadian dollar is pushed higher. This won’t be good for grain prices.

Market outlooks at Farm Tech 2016

Understanding Market Bulls and Bears: Two farm marketing experts were analyzing the markets in Edmonton in January

I attended Farm Tech 2016 in Edmonton this January to see the latest in Ag technology. This three-day ag information show was an early sellout once again, which shows just how popular it is. Those those attending the show are getting younger. On the technology side there continues to be exponential development in the areas […] Read more