Who will be at your table this Easter?

Hospitality is a good way to draw people together and build understanding

Watching the snow fly and hearing the wind howl is great motivation to have visions of Easter breads, tulips, lilies and folks gathered to celebrate. I attended a gathering last weekend where we were reminded again about the importance of hospitality to draw folks together and build understanding. A farm transition consultant has the habit […] Read more

This F350 lariat diesel with a 160-inch wheelbase was equipped with a range of high-end options that made it a very comfortable truck to drive.

PHOTOS: Farm testing the new F-350 Powerstroke

We spent a week putting Ford’s newest one-ton diesel pickup to work in an on-farm test

In March Ford invited Grainews to put one of its newest F-350s equipped with a 6.7 litre Powerstroke diesel to an on-farm test. We gladly accepted the challenge and spent a full week evaluating the truck. In the process we added over 500 kilometres to the odometer reading. But we didn’t cover all that ground […] Read more


Dealing with abusive behaviour on your farm

You have to be proactive rather than reactive to bad behaviour

I soaked up the seminar “Dealing with Abusive Behaviour at work,” led by Dave McNaughton an HR specialist from Winnipeg. Dave referred to Dr. Stephen Hart’s video from the Proactive Resolutions company, www.proactive-resolutions.com. (You have to love the idea of being proactive rather than reactive to bad behaviour in the workplace.) Give everyone a safe […] Read more

Ron Krahn shows students a damaged recovery strap that is no longer safe to use.

Safely extricate a stuck machine

Replace those chains with tow straps and think safety

If you have a pile of old chains in your workshop ready to use when your tractor or combine gets stuck, just leave them there was the message instructors gave students during a lesson on how to extricate stuck heavy trucks and machines. The January classroom session was part of the University of Manitoba’s first […] Read more


Guarding Wealth: Long-term investing is a sure thing

There are short-term risks, but inflation and survivor bias make long-term bets winners

Let’s have a heart to heart talk about the fundamentals of investing on the farm and off the farm and, for that matter, investing in education for a career or a used car. Every investment has character, whether it’s a tech stock and you have to bet on a new trend or product on the […] Read more

Bubble in the finance world

Guarding Wealth: When will the stock market bubble pop?

Stock markets are soaring in spite of increasing risks. If this is a bubble, will it last?

When is a bubble a bubble? The Oxford English Dictionary defines a bubble as “a significant, usually rapid, increase in asset prices that is soon followed by a collapse in prices… typically arises from speculation or enthusiasm rather than intrinsic increases in value.” The question is vital right now, for one of the best guides […] Read more


There are manufacturers pursuing the battery vehicle drive route commercially, including Kramer of Germany.

Diesel electric versus battery power

Previous tractor electrification projects have focused on diesel-electric hybrids or the inclusion of electricity-generating capability on an otherwise standard diesel-engined tractor to power auxiliary systems and implements. Swiss manufacturer RigiTrac produced a research hybrid of its four-wheel drive tractor, powered by a 91 kW (126 hp) Deutz engine and with a 650V DC, 85 kW […] Read more

Lifting the lid on the John Deere battery-powered electric tractor — one 150kW (200 hp) motor drives 
the transmission, a second powers the PTO, hydraulics and auxiliary systems. But they can also work 
together to deliver up to 300 kW (400 hp) for non-draft applications.

Electric shock: battery power is back

John Deere unveils a prototype electric battery-powered tractor in Europe

Just as we’d got used to the idea that hydrogen is the fuel of the future for electrically-driven tractors — according to New Holland’s agenda at least — up pops John Deere with a prototype that puts battery power back in the frame. The people behind the project say it’s the first fully electric battery-powered […] Read more


Ergot on seeds.

Watch out for ergot in grains

Another wet growing and harvest season in 2016 is increasing the level of toxins in some feeds

Ergot is a fungus that can grow on certain grasses and grain plants when moisture conditions are just right. Ergot becomes a problem mainly after a wet season, rarely during dry conditions. The fungus replaces seed in the seed head with a dark-brown/black mass and produces toxic alkaloids. One or more of the kernels in […] Read more

If you have an employee on your family farm, provincial occupational health and safety legislation 
will apply on your farm. Make sure you known the rules.

On-farm occupational health and safety

Some of these rules apply to your farm. Find out what you need to know

If you employ anyone other than family on your farm, you need to know that provincial occupational health and safety rules apply to you. Some farmers believe that they are exempt from these rules if they aren’t enrolled in Workers Compensation, or if they are purely a family farm with one or two employees. This […] Read more