CHECK WATER QUALITY REGULARLY

In the early days of July, I received a phone call from John, a farmer with 3,000 acres of wheat and canola near Wadena, Sask. John had sprayed his five canola fields with glyphosate in early June, but within two weeks he noticed that some weeds were still thriving and many were beginning to grow […] Read more

Evolving Environmental Farm Plans

An Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) is a voluntary process where a farmer self-identifies potential environmental risks and benefits on his or her farm, and creates a plan to mitigate those risks. Patrick Girard, senior media relations officer with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says two of the agri-environmental projects funded from 2003-04 to 2007-08 were the […] Read more


Elements of a good seeding plan

What crops should farmers be seeding this year? That depends. 
Besides prices, there are lots of agronomic factors to consider

It’s the time of year when farmers are making their seeding decisions, which means we marketing advisors are receiving plenty of questions from them about what they should consider growing. The short answer — it depends — can be frustrating for farmers, especially those who are essentially asking us to tell them which crops are […] Read more

How to be a wealthy farmer

What is your farmland worth? Alberta farmer, entrepreneur, and author Bruno Wiskel says in his new book The Wealthy Farmer that Canadian farmers may be sitting on a gold mine and not even know it. Wiskel has just published his sixth book, The Wealthy Farmer — The Complete Guide to Investing in Agricultural Land, an easy-to-read […] Read more


The rules, according to Kohl

Dave Kohl lives by the rules — the rules of farm management he’s been creating and collecting for more than 30 years. An adviser and speaker for the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Kohl is also a university professor and a farmer. He lives in Virginia where he owns and operates a dairy farm and value […] Read more

Machinery investments

When considering whether or not it pays to buy new equipment, James Fehr, vice-president, commercial financial services, agri-business and Agassiz market at RBC, said “You need to assess what income the equipment generates verses the expense of operating it.” When it comes to deciding whether or not to buy new machinery, Fehr says, “These decisions […] Read more


Looking at a weather market

This commodity outlook from Rayglen Commodities may 
help you decide what to put in the ground this spring

“14 day forecast for the U.S. Midwest looks hot with not much chance of rain!” Hearing these words this spring as a Canadian grower will likely lift your spirits, even though it means the drought is extending for wheat, corn and soybean farmers in the U.S. It is too bad that others have to come […] Read more

Reading soil sample results

Soil sample reports provide the actual nutrient level information from the field in crop plan creation. You can take your own samples and analyze your own report, or hire someone to take the samples and review the results. The sample If you’re taking your own samples, here are a few tips: Test annually. Nutrient levels […] Read more


Do better with your banker

Just because interest rates are low doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t 
negotiate for the lowest rates. Try these tips

Keep in mind, banks are not in the business of charity,” Stephen Foerster told a room filled with about 35 farmers. Foerster is a professor of finance at Richard Ivey School of Business, and this is Grower University. The people in the room were leading farmers from across Canada. They travelled to London, Ontario to take part […] Read more

Equipment: leasing versus buying

There has been a long-standing stigma around leasing that suggests that leasing is shameful. Some believe that leasing is something someone does when they can’t afford to own. In that old-fashioned view, to own, to possess a piece of farm equipment is a source of honour and a show of a fiscally responsible operation. These […] Read more