I was at the FarmTech conference in Edmonton this past week and I may have crossed over to the dark side. At least I am moving from the bright white light of confident skepticism into a grey area. The dark side may be just around the corner. I am talking about moving over to the […] Read more
Crossing over to the dark side of micronutrients
Improved shank design deals with trash
Morris Industries has introduced a new shank design for its Contour drill. The Contour drill features ultra-precise seed and fertilizer placement over changing field landscapes. The new shank design improves trash clearance through the heaviest crop residues. The Contour 2, the next generation of the seeding system, offers all the great features of the original […] Read more
Beef production to increase in 2012
Fed cattle prices softened over the holiday season but the market is expected to percolate higher during the first quarter of 2012. Alberta packers were buying slaughter cattle in the range of $114/cwt to $117 during the last half of December, which was down from the highs of $121 in late November. Fed cattle in […] Read more
Testing the waters with a “Polycrop” forage blend
With both extremely wet and dry conditions happening in the same growing season, it is not a stretch to call 2011 a strange year in Manitoba, but it has helped prove the effectiveness of perennial and annual forage seed blends known as “polycrops” in dealing with extremes of weather. “One thing that became very clear […] Read more
Deep tillage can be too effective
A deep tillage treatment on his Alberta Peace River region farm did what it was supposed to do, but Gary Sanocki wondered at times this past growing season if it might have worked too well. Sanocki, who crops about 1,800 acres of grains, oilseeds and pulses near Eaglesham says the tillage in the fall of […] Read more
Three ways grain baggers add flexibility
Tom Eppinga says one of the key features of the Neeralta Grain Bagger that appealed to him is the overall longer length of the machine, which helps make each of his 300-foot bags of stored grain, canola or peas much straighter. The Edmonton-area farmer says straight bag lines not only look neater, is easier for […] Read more
Farmer Panel: Tillage creeps back in to repair water damage
Farmers haven’t gone wild buying new equipment for the 2012 cropping season, according to those contacted for this January farmer panel. There have been some new purchases to improve farm efficiencies. And depending on the success of the 2011 crop, some purchases have been delayed, or are still under consideration. But all farmers contacted have […] Read more
Send in your good tips and ideas
Saskatchewan beef producer Albert Woelk would like to see more useful producer tips in Cattleman’s Corner. What a good idea, I should have thought of that! Actually, Albert called the other day to say it is all well and good to have regular columns on a bunch of stuff, but what about good everyday production […] Read more
Skinny cows have more calving issues
With the exception of a few days, autumn in Western Canada was amazing. We enjoyed days of warm weather, which compared to other years about the same time was simply balmy. This year, many beef cows were kept out on pasture longer and remained in decent shape once they were brought home. Maintaining this precious […] Read more
Great news on South Korea, but really, what took so long?
I, like everyone else, am delighted the South Korean market is now open to Canadian beef — go forth all you dedicated Canadian cowboys and cowgirls and produce and sell more beef — but honestly one of my first thoughts when I saw the release about the agreement was of the movie “Dumb and Dumber” […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
