Five Ontario companies are among 13 semi-finalists selected in the federal government's Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge, which is seeking innovative ways to reduce methane emissions from dairy and beef cattle.
Challenge model a new way to fund, support innovation
Ag orgs build open-source data platform
Collecting data is one thing, but pulling it into one place brings it to the next level
The advent of precision agriculture technology and the Internet of Things has led to the collection of vast amounts of data. Many different types of tools, equipment and devices gather data on everything from crop yields to how many steps an animal takes in a day. Much of that data, however, is under-utilized and is […] Read more
Promise of self-fertilizing attracts investment
Bayer bets big on a future where crops are designed to fertilizer themselves
There are a lot of efforts underway to optimize and minimize fertilizer use in crop production. Precision agriculture tools are improving the accuracy of where fertilizer is placed so that as much of it as possible reaches the plants that need it. And researchers from at least two Canadian universities — Ottawa’s Carleton University and […] Read more
Kiwi secrets to growing record wheat
This New Zealand farmer has grown wheat yielding 232 bushels per acre
An agronomist from New Zealand who helped a grower in that country set world wheat yield records was a guest speaker at this year’s Southwest Agricultural Conference in Ridgetown, Ont. According to Graeme Jones, arable business manager with PGG Wrightson Seeds, the recipe has three key ingredients: environment, management and genetics. Although the current wheat […] Read more
Manage your fields like a business
Changing your thinking about your cropping plans can make you more money
Farmers can make more money from their cash crops if they’re more selective about the land that they farm. This means focusing inputs and capital only on the most profitable areas of a field, limiting expenditures on under-performing areas — and perhaps taking some land out of agricultural production entirely. That was advice for growers […] Read more
Making precision ag work for you
Software and technologies are evolving fast. Find the combination that works for you
The software and technologies of precision agriculture have changed immensely since early yield monitors were first introduced. More and more tools are now available to cash crop growers to form data sets that help break fields into zones that allow for targeting of inputs and crop varieties specifically to those zones, says Doug Aspinall, a […] Read more
Management drives farm profits
An Ipsos study has identified the top seven habits of successful farmers. Do you have them?
Results of a new national Ipsos study clearly show that management matters when it comes to farm business success. The report also identifies seven key habits that have the biggest impact on farm profitability. The survey included 604 farms of all types and sizes and farmers of all ages across Canada in the grains and […] Read more
New online grain trading platform
Ag Exchange Group wants to match up farmers with grain buyers more efficiently
Developers of a new online grain trading system are hoping the technology will simplify the buying and selling of grains, and help expand export markets in the process. A desire to help growers focus their time more effectively and do a better job of bringing buyers and sellers together led Ag Exchange Group Inc. of […] Read more
How farmers can up their game
10 ways to run your farm more like a professional business
Farming is often described as both a lifestyle and a living. And and although not every farm is a small business, even a small farm is a business. That concept of running a business like a business, though, can often get lost in the day to day management of a farm operation, especially if there […] Read more
Canola gets competition from soybeans
Canadian soybean acreage is likely to continue increasing
Canola faces fierce competition from other oilseeds like soy or sunflowers, according to research completed by agri benchmark. The global non-profit network of agricultural experts completed three in-depth case studies of the on-farm competitiveness of rapeseed/canola versus other oilseed crops in Canada, Hungary and Ukraine. Results were presented during the International Rapeseed Conference in Saskatoon […] Read more