Pork Won’t Give You The Flu

Pigs are a host for the H1N1 virus, and yet while no pigs died directly because of the virus, it was called “swine flu” and the news story became focused on food safety. It sprung a lot of attention onto concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) as if the food supply is not safe anymore because […] Read more

Men, Get Help With Stress

As I write this in May, it’s mental health week. Longtime readers know that 25 years ago I dealt with a very serious postpartum depression, and I am thankful to have had 25 years of good health since that hard year in l984. In my coaching journey I have met many farmers who are feeling […] Read more


Custom Sprays Must Be Timely

As you may recall, Al Worknoplay has 4,000 acres of cereals, oilseeds and special crops. The farm has expanded at a moderate rate over recent years and has always done so from a position of strength. Al is in his mid 50s and takes a great deal of pride in the crops he grows and […] Read more

Investors As Farmers? Think Again

The land market in Saskatchewan is interesting at the moment. I hear rumbles of big outside interests buying up blocks of land with the idea that such farms can be managed by a management board sitting in comfortable boardrooms in high office towers. Now, to be honest I have no facts about the actual deals […] Read more


People Still Need To Eat

Don’t worry too much. Monitor changes and stay on top of your costs and you’ll be well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities in agriculture. Last winter as financial markets crashed and the number of jobless in Canada hit eight per cent, agriculture held its own. Agriculture, it turns out, is more recession-proof than […] Read more

Your Farm Is Your Topsoil

Thick Black Soil: original topsoil is 12 inches deep Inches of topsoil removed Treatment Check Topsoil Manure Fertilizer Grey Wooded Soil: original topsoil is 6 inches deep Inches of topsoil removed Treatment Check Topsoil Manure Fertilizer 0 39 52 63 0 37 63 67 71 54 2 34 51 46 2 26 58 63 69 […] Read more


Custom Help Can Lift Profits

Which side of the custom work equation are you on? Are you relying on custom work and expecting it to be done right, on time and affordably? Or are you a custom operator working hard to keep equipment running, get as many acres or hours logged as possible, keep customers happy, all while watching costs […] Read more

“Dare” To Love Your Spouse

Last week my friend and I had the joy of taking a warm evening walk in town, and seeing the young kids testing out the depths of the water in the ditches. I bet some of them had “dares” to see who would go in the deepest. This same friend also gave me a copy […] Read more


Tips To Get Your Seeder Ready

The time for big repair and upgrade projects was during the winter. By now, I hope you are ready for the finishing checks and touches to ensure your seeder can hit the ground running and get the seed in the soil on a timely basis. Recently on my blog, RealAgriculture.com,we started a feature called canola […] Read more

Management Is The Great Leveler

A thick black soil with more consistent rainfall will often outdo a loam soil in the dark brown zone, but the differences are nowhere near what they were when the biggest input was the seed in the ground. Soil fertility is the ability of a soil to supply the necessary plant nutrients to a growing […] Read more