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If you feel amped-up, even the simplest of movements can be a helpful way to express it.
Columns, Farm Life

Make moves against anxiety

Fit to Farm: The nervous energy our bodies generate needs to go somewhere

By
Anxiety is something all of us experience, to varying degrees, at some point or another. It can come with many different symptoms. Some of us tend to experience anxiety in our minds; some experience it more in their chests and cardiovascular systems; others experience it in the digestive system. Some lucky individuals experience all of […] Read more
Any disruption to a supply chain can affect the delivery of a newly manufactured product.
Columns, Equipment, Machinery

Remember risks as well as rewards in new equipment

Investing in a new model means you’re among the first to discover its hiccups

By
Bringing new equipment onto a farm can be an exciting and productive change to the way the farm operates. Having the latest in horsepower, capacity and technology can make the farm more efficient and easier to run. If one has the luxury to pay for it, it can be an obvious choice to order the […] Read more
A soil scientist collects a sample from a test plot. The zero- to six-inch depth should be sampled separately from deeper samples to accurately determine P fertilizer requirements.
Columns, Crops

Understanding soil phosphorus, Part 2: Soil testing for plant-available P

Agronomy Management: The proper test for your soil and region can help answer questions your plants’ roots will ask this season

By
In my previous Grainews article, I discussed soil phosphorus (P) cycling in soil, effects of crop rotations and fertilizing on soil P, and how crops take up soil P. In this article I’ll discuss soil tests used to estimate plant-available P. Next issue, we’ll discuss how to develop wise phosphate fertilizer recommendations for your farm. […] Read more
It’s well documented that if a micronutrient is missing or deficient, your expected yield could crash.
Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Soil fertility, revisited 

Practical Research: The history of crop production on the Prairies was one of nutrient extraction at an alarming pace

By
Soil fertility: a simple concept that requires long and well thought out answers. There are lots of articles on soil nutrient testing, along with many procedures, methods and interpretations.  Early on in the 1970s with Alberta Agriculture, my colleagues and I were very surprised with the answers to the soil testing questions we asked. A […] Read more
How we connect with others, such as our parents, depends on variables including our cultural backgrounds, our personal styles — and our external stressors.
Columns, Farm Life

On-farm communication improves when we start with connection

Seeds of Encouragement: Where you stand with your offspring comes from their relationships to you

By ,
Elaine writes: In so many of the families we coach, we see communication breakdowns leading to escalation of conflicts. In some cases, using strategies that provide family members with the tools they need to have better communication can help — but in many cases a relationship between family members has broken down to the point […] Read more
Certain simple non-strenuous activities such as tai chi are known to help improve balance and, according to Harvard Medical School, help people improve their proprioception — that is, their ability to sense the position and movement of the body in a given space — which in turn can help them resist and reduce falls.
Columns, Farm Life

Work on stability for your whole-body wellness

Fit to Farm: Practicing to improve your physical balance can be done simply at home

By
No matter your age or fitness level, your ability to stabilize yourself in various positions has been shown to have a major impact on your overall wellbeing and long-term health outcomes. Your body’s ability to stabilize also directly links to your capacity for joint mobility and tension levels in your tissues. Balance and stability are […] Read more
A crock of wooden spatulas and spurtles and flexible spatulas sits on prime real estate beside my range.
Columns, Farm Life

Tools and techniques, part 2: Spurtles and spatulas

First We Eat: Preferring wooden hand tools means keeping a wide assortment

By
It was too hot in September 2024 in Grass Valley to be wearing my red crocheted holiday elf toque with the white pompom, but gift-giving was on my mind. Mom and I were in California to visit my best beloved auntie, and my cousin had told us about a terrific annual crafters’ sale. lt was […] Read more
Fertilizer in storage at a phosphate plant in North Carolina.
Columns, Crops

Understanding soil phosphorus, part 1

Agronomy Management: Rotations and fertilizer management have dramatic effects on pools of organic and inorganic P

By
Farmers and agronomists are very aware that phosphorus (P) is an essential element needed for optimum crop production in Western Canada. Most soils used for annual crops in Western Canada are very low, low or medium in plant-available soil P and are responsive to added P fertilizer. As a result, phosphate fertilizer use is second […] Read more
Despite my call for an official recession in Canada, I do think our stocks will perform better, with a gain of perhaps 10 per cent.
Columns, Home Quarter Investing, Markets

A spectacular 2024 defied predictions, again

Investing for Fun and Profit: Also, my amateur investor market outlook for 2025

By
The stock market was a happy place in 2024, with the U.S. S&P 500 delivering a 25 per cent total return, including dividends. Even the laggardly Canadian TSX joined the party with a total return of 21.6 per cent. How did my 2024 predictions turn out compared to the pros, and what do I see […] Read more
Editor’s Rant: We’re all Phil now
Columns, Editor's column

Editor’s Rant: We’re all Phil now

By
It’s been a long time since I’ve watched the movie Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray plays a weatherman doomed to live out the same day over and over again, but I’d say that to see pundits talking — on and around Groundhog Day, of all days — about the suddenly urgent need to diversify Canada’s […] Read more

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