Bolting two railway ties together to make an extra long and strong gatepost, makes it possible to dig the post deep into the ground so hopefully it won’t be lifted by frost, regardless of moisture conditions.

A gatepost that shouldn’t move

Trick is to get the post deep enough below subsurface water and frost line so it won't lift out

Corral gates, or any long, heavy gates that need to be securely stable and never sag, require a deep and sturdy post that won’t lean, shift or work up out of the ground with frost heaves. A post not set deep enough, or in unstable ground, will eventually shift with the weight of the gate, […] Read more

A field with the typical very red clay in Rollo Bay West, P.E.I.

Les Henry: Thank you to my readers

Your letters and book orders are excellent learning opportunities and inspiration for my scribbles

We have received many letters and book orders with kind words, which is a great inspiration to keep scribbling, but it’s often also a chance for learning. In today’s world, it is a simple matter to use Google Earth and take a flyover. In many cases, one can also drop down via street view and […] Read more


The development of insecticide resistance happens for the same reason weeds become resistant to herbicides — the overuse of certain crop protection products, says John Gavloski with Manitoba Agriculture.

How to prevent insecticide resistance from developing on your farm

It doesn’t happen often on the Prairies but when it does product overuse is often to blame

Insecticide resistance on the Canadian Prairies is rare. Experts say producers have a pretty good handle on how to manage their insect crop pests with the products they have. But that doesn’t mean resistance doesn’t happen. Resistance in insects occurs for the same basic reason it does in weeds, says a leading entomologist — the […] Read more

PHOTO: FERTNIG/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

Unexpected trips and falls are major causes of injury

To help prevent this try these exercises to build awareness of the feet

Unexpected trips, stumbles and falls are major causes of injury risk for the vast majority of people, and the risk tends to go up as we age. The passage of time does often come with a regression of things like balance, body awareness and control. Degeneration of joint structures, soft tissue and neurological ability physically […] Read more


dairy cows at bunk

Vitti: A common-sense high-forage diet for dairy cows

It's about finding the proper balance between grain and forage components of the ration

High-forage dairy diets have become very popular in the last few years. That’s because many dairy producers feared too much grain was being fed to their high-producing cows, causing digestive upsets and lameness. I have reviewed many of these former high-concentrate diets and agree that many were clearly unacceptable to feed. Yet I have also […] Read more

Senior couple gazing out over farmland, late summer.

How to keep legacies fair for non-farming kids as land values soar

Parents worry their bequests will not be fair due to the appreciation in land prices

In southern Manitoba, a farming couple we’ll call Bob and Suzy (not their real names) are, at their respective ages of 82 and 80, approaching full retirement. They have one son who farms and two daughters who have city jobs. The children are in their 40s. Bob and Suzy are contemplating posterity and are eager […] Read more


Know the width and height of your equipment and adjust mirrors as needed. This will help ensure safe travel and clearance with potential obstructions such as road signs, overhead lines and bridges.

Safety while sharing the road: it’s a two-way street

Too often, many of us overlook the fact that we might be sharing the road with agricultural equipment. We hear of traffic incidents involving motor vehicles and agricultural equipment on public roadways every year. Unfortunately, many of these incidents have severe outcomes for motorists and farm equipment operators alike. In fact, according to Canadian Agricultural […] Read more



Les Henry: Nitrogen fertilizer. Where from here?

Les Henry: Nitrogen fertilizer. Where from here?

A look at emissions

Nitrogen fertilizer is much in the news this winter with the feds talking about seriously reducing its use to save the planet. This piece appears here at this time because I have just read Kevin Hursh’s March 1, 2022, column in The Western Producer with headline, “Have your say on reducing fertilizer emissions.” He makes […] Read more

We all have character traits that will help us perform well and those that will hurt us. We need to take advantage of the helpful ones and manage the hurtful ones.

Four market success factors, Part 2

Portfolio construction and how you manage yourself

While individual stock selection gets most of the airtime, organizing those stocks into a high performance, resilient portfolio is equally important. This aspect is referred to as diversification, but it is bigger than that. Some may think owning a number of companies in a couple different sectors qualifies as diversification. However, the market tends to […] Read more