Columns & Production Tips

Putting the farm “on trial”

Farmers are always experimenting. Here are Sarah Weigum’s  thoughts about different ways of doing research

By Sarah Weigum May 15, 2014

Last summer I travelled to Indian Head, Sask. where I had the pleasure of visiting the Bell Farm historical site. The Bell Farm is probably Canada’s first mega-farm, topping out at 53,000 acres in the late 1800s. In 1887, a portion of this farm was sold to create the Dominion Experimental Farm, now known as […] Read more

Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Know when to apply fungicide

By Grainews Staff May 15, 2014

The fungicides that assist in defending yield-robbing diseases like Sclerotinia in canola are only beneficial if they are applied before the symptoms appear. So how do you choose to spray or not? If you have the following three conditions, a foliar fungicide application is a smart choice. A strong and potentially high-yielding stand. A good-looking […] Read more

Columns, Farm Life

Success or mess?

In the third part of a series on succession planning, Management Minute focuses in on the family

By Andrew Deruyck, Mark Sloane May 14, 2014

In our introductory article to this series we looked back over our last 10 years identifying successes and messes we’ve seen in business transitions. We developed an extensive list of reasons why those transitions were successful or what caused them to go off the rails. We grouped this list into five key areas that captured […] Read more

Columns

Winter research for summer crops

Toban Dyck had good intentions of taking advantage of the long Manitoba  winter to study up and be ready for the summer growing season

By Toban Dyck May 12, 2014

Sorcery. It must be. That’s the best explanation I can muster for how a crop grows. How a seed senses moisture, germinates, takes what it needs from the earth surrounding it, and knows which direction it needs to grow is more complicated (or magical) a process than most brains can fully comprehend. An amusing admittance, […] Read more

Two clean out areas on the Storm treater can be seen here.

Columns, Crops

Seed, treat, repeat

With a new grain cart and a Storm seed treater, Sarah Weigum’s farm is ready for spring

By Sarah Weigum May 8, 2014

Hopefully by the time you read this our grain cart is ready to go. Typically, farmers give their tractors, sprayers and seeding equipment a final tune up this time of year, and we’re doing that too; however, we also finished modifying a 1,000-bushel grain cart that will be pressed into service for seed distribution any […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Protein and energy demands jump after calving

By Peter Vitti May 1, 2014

While some cows are fortunate to freshen in a draft-free barn, others drop their calves outside on straw pack, in a pole barn or open drylot. Regardless of where they calve, most cows return or remain outside to not only brave the arctic cold, but must meet the challenges of nursing a new calf and […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Knife to a gun fight

Farm talk: Grain marketing has changed. Farmers need to be ready to deal with the new reality

By Kim Althouse April 29, 2014

Have you ever heard the expression “Never take a knife to a gun fight?” It’s good advice. Unless you are armed with as good a weapon as your foe you are most likely to face defeat, or at least a good thrashing. That lesson was not lost on western Canadian farmers through the years they […] Read more

Columns, Farm Life

A pre-emptive retirement

Farm Financial Planner: Preparing for life in town, a Manitoba farm couple prepares  to pull an income out of their farm corporation assets

By Andrew Allentuck April 18, 2014

Central Manitoba grain farmers we’ll call Mel and Judy, 56 and 53, are in the process of selling their farm and migrating to town. They are making what you could call a pre-emptive move, for they have two children with off-farm jobs. Neither of the children has an interest in keeping the farm going. Mel […] Read more

Columns, Weather

We need a little global warming

Climate has been changing for the last  four billion years. Long-term weather  forecasts are anyone’s guess

By Les Henry April 9, 2014

On Sunday, January 5, I went out mid-morning to get a shot of fresh air — and it was fresh. The mercury thermometer on the garage stops at 40 below, which we all understand. The mercury was nearly curled up in the bottom: -37 C. Much of Canada and the northern U.S. has experienced a […] Read more

Columns, Features, Guarding Wealth

Becoming a competent investor

Guarding Wealth: There are several sources of financial advice for beginning investors,  or investors looking to learn more

By Andrew Allentuck April 3, 2014

As a columnist for Grainews and Financial Post, I am frequently asked what it takes to learn to invest in stocks, bonds and other financial assets. There is a core of knowledge that every investor needs. Books Inspirational personal finance books. The Wealthy Barber is the best of this breed, but this is investing lite. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn fall on harvest pressure

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slide in technical correction

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Acknowledging the past, seeking a better future

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