It was great to receive a letter from retired Manitoba farmer, Francis Poulsen, that described some of the problem-solving “fixes” he applied to equipment and the land during more than 50 years of farming near Elm Creek, 50 km west of Winnipeg and about 35 km southeast of Portage la Prairie. Now retired for about […] Read more
Hart Attacks: Long-time reader shares many good ideas
Now-retired mixed farmer is a man of many talents
Ag in Motion ramps up for its fifth show
Popular outdoor farm show runs from July 16 to 18, northwest of Saskatoon
It’s hard to believe it possible to pack more iron and information onto 320 acres of good Saskatchewan farmland, but that’s what organizers of the 2019 Ag in Motion (AIM) farm show are promising as they gear up for the fifth annual show that will be rolling July 16 to 19, just northwest of Saskatoon. […] Read more
Learning continues at Farm Forum
While there will be plenty to see and learn at the Ag in Motion farm show, organizers hope it doesn’t end there, as learning will continue at the Farm Forum conference in Saskatoon in early December. The two events, organized by Glacier FarmMedia have a symbiotic relationship this year, says Rob O’Connor, AIM show manager. […] Read more
Disease-free boots and a testing tool
Spotted in the field: homemade ideas that don't cost a lot, but work
They are two separate topics completely, but here are a couple of good ideas that western Canadian field specialists came up with for sanitizing rubber boots to reduce the risk of spreading clubroot (or any soil borne disease), and a handy homemade sample collection tool for measuring spray volumes when calibrating a field sprayer. Boot […] Read more
Hart Attacks: No end to researcher ingenuity
I think I was sick the day we learned about this stuff in high school
I am often in awe of the agricultural researchers, which shouldn’t be surprising since I really have no understanding of 99.9999 per cent of what they do, or how they do it. Yet they manage to come up with answers. Recently I was speaking with three researchers in Alberta working to identify and quantify the […] Read more
Breeding program favours short-gestation bulls
Little or no calving difficulty as calves get off to a good start
For southwest Saskatchewan ranchers Barry and Anne Wasko, switching the heifer-breeding program a few years ago to select for shorter-gestation bulls is producing smaller but vigorous calves while reducing concerns about calving difficulty. By breeding their Hereford/Red Angus-cross heifers to Black Angus bulls selected for EPDs showing shorter gestation, heifers are calving about 10 days […] Read more
Emptying the tool box on fusarium head blight
There are no silver bullets, but these 11 agronomic practices can help
While there is no so-called cure for fusarium head blight a whole series of proper agronomic practices can be applied to stave off the impact of the disease, say Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers. Using FHB-resistant cereal varieties and applying registered fungicides is part of the story say Kelly Turkington, plant pathology researcher in Lacombe, Alta., and […] Read more
There is always Eastend in April
You don't have to leave Canada for that early spring get-away
My daughter spent a week in Palm Springs this winter and my son just got back from a week in Hawaii. My get-away in early April? An overnighter in Eastend, Saskatchewan. I’m not being smart about this. It really was great to spend some time in Eastend. I’ve heard the community name often, but don’t believe I have […] Read more
Good to be mixed up, in the right order
The sequence of the herbicide tank mix matters. Get it right with W.A.L.E.S
With more interest in recent years in tank mixing different herbicide products to provide more effective control of weeds, and reduce the risk of selecting weeds for herbicide tolerance, producers need to follow the proper mixing procedure. It’s not just a matter of which products can be safely tank mixed, but also what order different […] Read more
Elections can only make things better
But to get there, first you have to define what “better” means
With an Alberta provincial election coming up in mid-April and a federal election likely to happen in the fall of 2019, I know it is just a matter of days before all my problems will be solved. With either new or re-confirmed governments in place in both jurisdictions all my troubles will be lifted. Everything […] Read more
