A few of you reading this may be old enough to remember when most seed came in burlap sacks. Farmers had to lift them by hand and manually pour the grain into a drill, which then dropped those kernels two or three feet into the soft ground to be covered over. That made for some […] Read more
Put A Sock On It
In-Season Field Imaging Too Late For N Applications
Canada’s opportunity going forward is to be on the Cadillac side; that’s how we could separate ourselves There are several reasons to monitor a crop’s progress throughout the year. Using images from aircraft or satellites are two options. While in-season imagery may work well for some purposes, it may not always provide timely nutrient information […] Read more
How To Rejuvenate Overgrown Fields
Occasionally, farm land ends up being neglected during the transition between owners, something that can happen when an estate must be sold because there are no family members interested in taking over. But allowing cultivated fields to remain unattended for a season or two can leave them choked by a mass of waist-high weeds. Returning […] Read more
Eco-Friendly Herbicide Awaits Approval
Modern, large-scale agriculture now depends heavily on synthetic crop protection products, such as glyphosate. So heavily, in fact, most current farming practices would not be possible without them At the same time there has been growing opposition to the increased used of chemicals in food production from environmentalists and consumers. That environmental pressure was the […] Read more
Build Your Own Liquid N Cart
After finishing up the 2008 growing season, the partners at Legacy Agro, a large-scale, family-owned farming operation near Langenburg, Sask., decided to make the switch from NH3 to liquid nitrogen fertilizer. That meant finding a liquid fertilizer cart for their air drill. They decided a 5,000-gallon, tow-between model would best suit their needs. Clayton Wiebe, […] Read more
AGCO Cash
Step aside Canadian Tire money, there’s a new currency in town. AGCO’s parts division is getting on board the corporate money train, too. It’s introducing AGCO Cash as part of the company’s “Field Ready” initiative to help growers gear up for spring seeding. Under the new program, farmers who make early parts purchases qualify for […] Read more
New Sprayer Calibrator Saves Time
Despite all the advances in sprayer technology over the past several years, manufacturers have yet to design one that calibrates itself. Manually checking sprayer output is the only way to be sure nozzles are putting out the right volume. And with the cost of crop protection products these days, producers can’t afford to waste any. […] Read more
Hotrod 4020
For years, tractor manufacturers have been releasing limited edition or one-off models to commemorate anniversaries or special events. John Deere has resisted the temptation to do that and stuck with regular production designs, that is, until now. But in breaking with tradition, they’ve chosen to go the one-off tractor route in their own way. They’re […] Read more
Add Monitors To Older Equipment
A few years ago, most tractor manufacturers began building mounting points into their cab designs for placing implement monitors. That made monitor installation a lot easier. The problem is with so many implements now using sophisticated electronic controls the number of different monitors on the farm has been growing. That has made hooking up a […] Read more
City Slicker Learns To Combine
JUST FOR FUN Most farm boys can probably remember having a good chuckle at a city cousin’s first attempt to drive a tractor on summer vacation. Now, Discovery Channel’s new show “I Could Do That” has taken that general idea and put in on television. One of the show’s episodes will feature a city slicker […] Read more