I can remember hearing a farmer complain he had spent a very frustrating day trying to figure out why the water wouldn’t run downhill in his newly dug drainage ditches. The answer was obvious. His ditches didn’t run downhill. He finally figured that out. As funny as that incident seems, it highlights how difficult it […] Read more
GPS Makes Drainage Work More Precise – for Oct. 4, 2010
John Deere Introduces IGrade
John Deere has recently joined the ranks of those offering complete GPS-based systems capable of adding a high level of automation to drainage construction. Company reps introduced their new iGrade system at the U. S. Farm Progress show in Iowa at the end of August. “It (iGrade) is a controller that will plug into the […] Read more
How To Keep Wheel Bearings Turning
A few months ago, Grainewsasked the instructors at Assiniboine Community College at Brandon, Man., for some tips on what tools to include in a farm workshop. A little surprisingly, one of their recommendations was to include a computer with Internet access. The reason? The web is a great source of how-to information for mechanical projects. […] Read more
Tandem Tanks Offer Extreme Capacity
The Quad Train liquid manure spreader unit offered by Ontario-based Nuhn Industries has set the bar high when it comes to size. With models available from 8,000 to 15,000 gallons, the Quad Train line may well be the biggest in the industry. “I don’t know of any bigger,” says Dennis Nuhn, president of Nuhn Industries. […] Read more
How To Spread Manure For Maximum Value
Few farmers would apply chemical fertilizer without doing a little preplanning and carefully metering it out. But that’s not always the case with manure. There is a temptation to just head to the nearest field and dump it, saving time and fuel. However, there is a logical and efficient way to use it. Here’s how […] Read more
New Rotary Ditcher Handles Rocky Soil
After nearly 10 years in development, Manitobabased Dynamic Ditchers Inc. recently put their Wolverine Rotary Ditcher into production. This machine is capable of digging drainage ditches, eliminating the need for heavy-duty scrapers. Instead, the Wolverine acts like a snow blower on steroids. It digs into soil and blows it off to the side, leaving removed […] Read more
How To Choose The Best N Form
Getting the full bang for every buck spent on nitrogen (N) fertilizer can be difficult. Under some conditions, losses from volatilization (off gassing) can exceed 50 per cent, according to a Quebec study. With the current cost of fertilizer, no operation can afford that. However, two N treatments, ESN and Agrotain, can significantly decrease those […] Read more
Are we cool yet?
Nope. That headline wasn’t meant to refer to the weather. Something I saw this week made me wonder if we farm machinery enthusiasts might be on the verge of being considered “cool”. As I staked my claim to the sofa and the TV remote control in order to watch all twenty-odd hours of this fall’s […] Read more
Take your time
When—or if—the rain finally stops, farmers will be logging some pretty long hours in combine cabs to try and catch up before the snow falls. But after a couple of solid 12 or 14 hour shifts, fatigue can start to set in. That is exactly when accidents start to happen. And it’s far too easy […] Read more
Hydrogen tractor displayed at farm show
A few months ago I was asked to help Farmers Weekly, a publication in the United Kingdom, put together a snapshot of Canadian farming statistics for one of their issues. One of the questions the editor wanted me to address was how much Canadian farmers are paying for marked diesel fuel. Of course the exact […] Read more