Did anyone else see the research that proved reading a daily paper (a daily paper, not Grainews), but reading a newspaper every day could cause premature blindness, and in 95 percent of cases, leads to death. Yes, it is fact proven by a research team from the University of Manyberries, Alberta that those people who […] Read more
Reading newspapers will kill you
On-line services and on-farm weather stations help eliminate weather surprises
While most producers still look to the sky to get some feeling about the daily weather, more study their computer screens. They make use of the latest technology that can feed updated weather information into their farm offices or straight to their cell phones on a minute-by-minute basis. Even with all the technology that funnels […] Read more
You can put up your own station or pick up data from others
Weather Websites HERE ARE SEVERAL WEBSITE ADDRESSES FOR WEATHER MONITORING, MEASURING AND FORECASTING SERVICES AVAILABLE TO WESTERN CANADIAN FARMERS: U. S. WEBSITE: WWW.INTELLICAST.COM ENVIRONMENT CANADA: WWW.WEATHEROFFICE.GC.CA/CANADA_E.HTML WEATHER NETWORK: WWW.THEWEATHERNETWORK.COM ACCUWEATHER: WWW.ACCUWEATHER.COM WEATHERBUG: WEATHER. WEATHERBUG.COM CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD: WWW.CWB.CA/PUBLIC/EN AGRI-TREND AGROLOGY: WWW.AGRITREND.COM DTN: WWW.DTN.COM MANITOBA AGRICULTURE: WWW.GOV.MB.CA/AGRICULTURE/INTRO/YFUTURE/CFF01S17.HTML ALBERTA AGRICULTURE: WWW.AGRIC.GOV.AB.CA/APP21/RTW/INDEX.JSP INTERNATIONAL WEATHER ANALYST, QT WEATHER, ALAN […] Read more
A healthy canola crop produces about 50 per cent more flowers than it will use, so days in flower is not a good estimate of yield. To get a better picture of yield potential, look at the early-season leaf density
“You walk into a field that has the spindly plants that don’t have those big basal leaves and you can tell right away this is a 28-bushel crop.” — PHIL THOMAS The length of time a canola crop is in flower doesn’t have as much bearing on crop yield as some people believe, says a […] Read more
When You Don’t Have Anything Insightful To Say, Tell A Joke
I could write something very wise, but when I have a choice between being insightful or having a good chuckle, well….let’s just say I’m lazy. THAT EXPLAINS IT… After their baby was born, the panicked young father who farms near Homewood Manitoba went to see the obstetrician. “Doctor,” the man said, “I don’t mind telling […] Read more
There goes the neighbourhood
I am not sure what to think about plans by a Toronto company to launch large scale corporate farming in Western Canada. My first thought is to protect and promote the family farm, but there again I have talked to lots of producers in recent years who operate family farms that are 15,000, 20,000 even […] Read more
Staying ahead of the elephant
The Canadian agriculture industry, from producers through to processors and food retailers, needs to be operating at least one step ahead of consumers, says an expert on North American consumer trends. Phil Lempert, also known as the Supermarket Guru, speaking to the Canola Council of Canada in Toronto this week, says the agriculture and food […] Read more
Some measures to reduce input costs can be penny-wise and pound foolish
Prairie farmers need to evaluate so-called cost-saving strategies when planning rotations for 2009, says an Agriculture Canada ag economist. There can be a tendency to change production practices when crop input costs are high, or when commodity prices are low, says Elwin Smith, a bio-economist at the Lethbridge Research Centre. Particularly when input costs are […] Read more
Just like kids on a playground, some crops get along better with some than others. The crop sequence calculator can help put your rotation in the best order
Should wheat follow flax or flax follow wheat? Should you grow winter wheat after peas to conserve soil moisture? These are some of the questions that USDA’s Crop Sequence Calculator could help to answer. Following a proper sequence and even using cover crops in some cereal and pulse crop rotations may help to increase overall […] Read more
CCA program will tie producers, feedlots and packers into on-line exchange
Canadian beef producers who ever wanted to know how their calves performed at the feedlot or graded at the packing plant will be able, later this year, to connect to a new information network being developed by the Canadian Cattleman’s Association (CCA), which in theory could launch a whole new era on how beef cattle […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
