Machinery & Production Tips

Audi AI: TRAIL Quattro takes a new path

Concept off-road vehicle relies on voltage power

By Scott Garvey February 6, 2020

The Jeep is by any measure the granddaddy of off-road vehicles. But Audi’s new AI:TRAIL Quattro makes that venerable four-wheel drive look pretty last century. Or is it that the AI;TRAIL Quattro looks like something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie whose time hasn’t yet really arrived? But the AI:TRAIL is here now, albeit as […] Read more

Crops, Machinery, Weather

Carbon tax an eight per cent hit on net income, APAS says

By Glacier FarmMedia staff, GFM Network News February 6, 2020

The average Saskatchewan farmer can expect to lose about eight per cent of his or her annual net farm income to the federal carbon tax to 2020 — and 12 per cent in 2022, the province’s general ag group says. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan on Monday released new estimates on the financial impacts […] Read more

A 2018 Ford Super Duty F-250 Lariat. (Ford.com)

General, Machinery, Reuters, Weather

Ford says emissions certification process under federal probe

By GFM Network News February 5, 2020

Washington | Reuters — Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday Canadian officials have opened a preliminary investigation into the automaker’s emissions certification process. Ford said in its annual report Environment and Climate Change Canada has opened a probe into the matter after the automaker disclosed early last year that the U.S. Justice Department had opened a […] Read more

Crops, Machinery

Machinery costs driving up fixed farming expenses

By GFM Network News February 5, 2020

MarketsFarm — Fixed costs on farms continue to rise year-over-year, a statistic largely attributed to increasing land values and interest rates. At the beginning of 2019, Farm Credit Canada (FCC) reported farmland values across Canada increased by an average of 6.6 per cent during the previous year. But that’s not the main driver of fixed […] Read more

File photo of a pumpjack in an Alberta field. (ImagineGolf/E+/Getty Images)

General, Machinery

Alberta farmers warned against oil well tampering

Advocate warns off 'reckless advice'

By Glacier FarmMedia staff, GFM Network News February 4, 2020

Alberta’s Farmers’ Advocate Office (FAO) is warning any farmers and ranchers in dispute with resource companies over compensation for well sites not to go in and tamper with the taps. The FAO last week issued a statement reminding the public that “interfering with any oil and gas infrastructure or that of an electrical distribution utility […] Read more

Developed in cooperation with Bosch, Xarvio uses this display with potted weed plants to demonstrate  how the system recognizes a weed then activates a boom nozzle to  spot spray.

Machinery

New apps and Smart Sprayer could reduce input costs

Plant identification key to scouting and sprayer boom control

By Scott Garvey February 3, 2020

At the 2019 Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Saskatchewan, Xarvio, a start-up division of chemical giant BASF, had some digital technology to show producers. “We’re showing several things here at the show,” said Warren Bills, Xarvio’s commercialization and partnerships lead. “One is an app called Xarvio Scouting, and it uses image recognition to […] Read more

Farmers dump bags of corn grain in front of the Papineau riding office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal, as they protest the lack of propane due to the CN strike, on Nov. 25, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Christinne Muschi)

Crops, Machinery, Markets

CN conductors approve post-strike deal

By Glacier FarmMedia staff, GFM Network News January 31, 2020

Canadian National Railway’s conductors and yard workers have voted for at least another two and a half years of labour peace with the company. The affected employees, members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, voted 91.3 per cent to ratify a three-year contract with CN, retroactive to last July 23, the union said in a […] Read more

Poor installation of high amperage, unprotected cables running through a jagged metal opening on this truck could have resulted in a major fire.

Equipment, Machinery

Inspect newly purchased machines thoroughly

Poor-quality work put this “new-to-us” truck at serious risk of fire

By Scott Garvey January 31, 2020

When a used, new-to-you vehicle or machine arrives on the farm, it’s worth putting on your coveralls and giving it another more thorough inspection than it likely received at the auction sale or dealer’s lot when it was purchased. Doing exactly that saved this heavy truck from what would have been an inevitable fire. And […] Read more

General, Machinery

AgDealer offers online equipment financing, shipping tools

By Glacier FarmMedia staff, GFM Network News January 28, 2020

Canada’s biggest used farm equipment shopper publication has added tools to link prospective buyers to options for payment plans and shipping. AgDealer on Monday announced “major enhancement(s)” at its AgDealer.com site, where each equipment listing will include buttons linking to tools from CWB National Leasing and Trusted Dispatch. The online tools allow AgDealer.com users to […] Read more

Crops, Machinery, Weather

Green Party backs grain drying exemption from carbon tax

By GFM Network News January 20, 2020

One of the federal opposition parties in full favour of carbon pricing is lending its support to calls by farm groups for a carbon tax break for grain drying. Vancouver Island MP Paul Manly, the Green Party’s caucus critic for agriculture, announced the party’s position Monday. “We support the grain producers of Canada in their […] Read more

Daily Network News

New strategies needed for Canadian agriculture to stand out in global trade

Feed Grains Weekly: Cash prices for wheat, barley largely flat

The Canadian GMO mustard wars: Dijon vs canola