Take FCC’s Online Safety Quiz

Farmers who responded to a recent online survey from Farm Credit Canada strongly supported the concept of safety precautions for themselves, their families and their employees. But fewer than 15 per cent of those same farmers had developed a safety statement or a plan to put that commitment into practice. Maybe it’s because most farmers […] Read more

Two Farmers Shrink Wrapped In Grain Bags

Wes Woods, Saskatchewan marketing rep for SeCan, called with a warning about unloading those large grain storage bags with a grain vac. He knows of two farmers on the Prairies who were “shrink wrapped” when they were working inside the bag with the nozzle end of the grain vac. The empty bag closed around the […] Read more


No two farmers approach pulse crop fertility the same, but farmers interviewed for this panel all have one thing in common: they all use inoculants

Pulse growers contacted for this issue’s Farmer Panel use a wide range of inoculant products and different combinations. Some use starter fertilizer along with the inoculant and some don’t. But one standard approach was to get the inoculant of choice applied as evenly as possible to the seed and applied just prior to seeding. If […] Read more

Wills No Match For Selfish Spouse

One thing is clear, whether one has a will or no will, the farm can be destroyed. (No will can destroy the farm, January 11 Grainews, page 40) If a person dies without a will — intestate — the Intestate Act is there to protect the children’s interests. Or does it? If there is an […] Read more


The Art Of Selling Bulls

The holy grail in marketing for the vast majority of small purebred cattle breeders is to sell their bulls privately off the yard. But this objective may not be as easily reached as may seem possible from the outside looking in. Selling is an art. It can be learned readily enough, but producers must have […] Read more

Using Carcass Data

CCIA 124000123456789 Lot # 367 Sex M HCW QG 765 AAA Kill Date 12/21/2009 Grade Date 12/23/2009 YG 1 Yield 59.8 When a producer receives back their carcass grades, either through retained ownership to the rail, or through programs such as the Beef Information Exchange System (BIXS) once it is fully operational, many of us […] Read more


What About Real Canadian Food?

SO HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS: Canada is continuing plans for its enhanced livestock traceability program. The U. S. has recently announced it is scrapping its plans for a national animal-tracking plan. McDonald’s Restaurants Canada comes out in favour of full livestock traceability. Caviar from short-nosed Canadian sturgeon will be one of the featured dishes served […] Read more

Improved Vs. Native Pasture

As a rule, few introduced forage species have any ecological value. In most cases the “improvement” of rangeland by planting tame species such as crested wheatgrass or Russian wildrye reduces biodiversity and may result in the reduction of biodiversity and deterioration in ecosystem stability. However, biodiversity does not pay the bills. The decision to use […] Read more


Consultants Compared To Steers

I recently heard an interesting description of consultants. The person said consultants are like steers. They know what to do, act like they know how to do it, but in the end lack the balls to do it. I thought it was a funny observation, and with no disrespect to some very good capable consultants, […] Read more

Can tractor exhaust really stimulate soil microbes to provide nutrients to the crop so farmers don’t have to fertilize? We need to see independent research

A southern Alberta farmer promotes a radically different way to manage fertility and sequester carbon at the same time. He’s selling his injecting-exhaust theory to fellow farmers and consumers. Let’s start with the carbon angle then get on to the machinery itself. The regulated Alberta Carbon Market, which the Saskatchewan and Canadian markets will likely […] Read more


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