If you’re like me, having internet access has gone from being a luxury to a necessity. It’s hard to imagine life without it, now. And perhaps surprisingly, one of the most useful places for it has turned out to be inside the workshop. A couple of years ago, mechanical instructors at Brandon’s Assiniboine Community College […] Read more
Movin’ on to wireless internet
Incorporating innovation
The Western Canada Farm Progress Show is now in the books for another year. The last couple of shows have seen significant changes, primarily because the organizers have been increasingly focusing on the new innovations presented by exhibitors. Prairie manufacturers have been using the event to introduce their new products for several years now, so […] Read more
This week’s Regina farm show
If you’re a fan of farm machinery shows—and who isn’t—be sure to take in the Agritechnica preview presentation, which will be held during the second day of the Western Canada Farm Progress show. On Thursday, the 16th, representatives from Agritechnica, the world’s premier machinery show, will be making a presentation about their next show. It […] Read more
What You Need To Know About Loss Monitors
As the sophistication of farm equipment moves ahead in leaps and bounds, there is hardly a cab on any new machine that doesn’t have an electronic screen to monitor a variety of functions. The range of features those systems include grows every year, and farm equipment operators now put a lot of faith in the […] Read more
Three New Machinery Introductions
NEW HOLLAND If you’re in the market for a new skid-steer loader, New Holland has just released its new 200 Series models. There are quite a few to choose from — seven plus another three tracked versions for a total of 10 in all. The company says they represent a complete redesign based on five […] Read more
Grain Vacs To Go
Some large-scale producers now have grains and oilseeds stored in a wide variety of locations, several kilometres apart. Moving a tractor and grain vac around to all of them can be a slow, time-consuming process. That fact hasn’t been lost on the manufacturers who produce grain handling equipment. The number of firms offering diesel-powered, self-contained […] Read more
Got a match?
Now that the weather is finally cooperating, most prairie farmers are out working in their fields. But they have a lot of lost time to make up for. And it’s during those hectic days of playing catch up when things usually seem to go wrong. Sometimes instead of covering acres, you find yourself repairing a […] Read more
Cross Slot field demo
Last week—during a lull between a late spring blizzard and heavy rain showers—I had a chance to attend a field demonstration of Baker No-Tillage’s Cross Slot seeding system. The demo, held on a farm near Willow City, North Dakota, was one that would challenge the capabilities of any seed drill. The Cross Slot drill started […] Read more
We’ve come a long way, baby
Back in the 1970s, a cigarette brand, Virginia Slims, had a long-running ad campaign with the tag line “You’ve come a long way, baby”. Remember that? Something that happend to me last week made me think of that old line. A friend called one evening; and she said when going through her late husband’s large […] Read more
The Best And The Worst Gas Guzzlers
Have you ever wondered which pickups have the best or the worst fuel mileage? The U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has the answer, and their website ( www.fueleconomy.gov) gives a shout out to the winners and losers, as they see them. Natural Resources Canada (NRC) has also selected its favourite truck to include in the […] Read more