Farm Services – Page 9

A hundred years of Prairie farmland prices

Don’t bet the farm on that much-anticipated easing of interest rates

By Les Henry February 9, 2024

Farmland prices continue to go up like a helium balloon, leading to speculation that it might continue and speculation in land as a commodity. In this piece we will look at a long history and provide some guesses about the future. Anyone who thinks they can actually predict the future is living in dreamland. Figure […] Read more

Edison Motors' CEO Chace Barber stands beside the company's first concept truck, a 1962 LW900 Kenworth converted to diesel-electric hybrid drive.

Machinery, Trucks and UTVs

B.C. company to offer hybrid conversions for farm trucks

Edison Motors pioneers the retrofit market for vocational heavy and light trucks

By Scott Garvey February 7, 2024

There’s an old saying that everything old is new again. When it comes to automotive and machinery design today, that seems to be true in spades. Diesel-electric equipment has been in use for decades, but until recently, that system had largely fallen out of favour with many equipment manufacturers, including heavy truck builders. “It’s weird,” […] Read more

It’s up to you to improve your skills in sharing your ideas, thoughts and feelings in the culture of your farm business.

Columns, Farm Life

How to embrace a positive perspective for farm transition

People who feel their concerns are taken seriously will feel understood

By Elaine Froese February 6, 2024

Imagine this is the day you’re hopping out of bed with a new spring in your step as you anticipate the life-changing transaction taking place this afternoon. You, your spouse and your folks are headed to the lawyer’s office to officially sign shareholder agreements. You’re excited to finally have some certainty for your future. How […] Read more

Taking a gamble on a $5 grinder. Can it work again?

Machinery

How to repair a power tool

Bringing a $5 grinder back to life

By Scott Garvey February 2, 2024

On a recent trip to my local Princess Auto to buy an angle grinder, the store just happened to have a temporary scratch and dent stand set up in the parking lot by the front door, clearing out some not-quite-good-as-new merchandise. An angle grinder sitting on a table in that display caught my eye. Just […] Read more

Crops, Features

Rebate roundup 2024

Cash-back rebates and rewards programs provide growers with much-needed certainty

By Jim Timlick February 2, 2024

Canada’s crop input market faces multiple challenges and growers will look to get the most bang for their buck when purchasing fertilizer, seed and pesticides for 2024. Grainews aims to make that process a little easier with its annual rebate roundup feature that examines some of the cash-back rebates and other reward programs available to […] Read more

parents and an adult child discussing finances

Columns, Farm Life

Get the tough and tender transition conversations started in 2024

A farm’s founders may not want the embarrassment if they see a personal net worth lower than expected

By Elaine Froese January 25, 2024

Seven years ago, here’s what I said about getting transition conversations started: Show up as adults to attack the issues, do not attack the person who is delivering ideas for change. Understand transition is a journey of many plans, with communication as the foundation. Spend some quiet time with yourself thinking about what you truly […] Read more

Columns, Editor's column, Wheat & Chaff

Editor’s Rant: In good company

By Dave Bedard January 20, 2024

So for weeks I’d been planning to fill this space with a tirade about last month’s cynical-yet-predictable developments in Ottawa on Bill C-234, but when Linamar went public with its plan to buy Bourgault Industries I got distracted by developments closer to home, so to speak. In case you missed the news shortly before Christmas, […] Read more

Columns

In this information age, the information is aging

Up-to-date research is out there, but not always readily or easily available to farmers

By Ross H. McKenzie January 16, 2024

I enjoy reading various agronomy- and soil-related extension information. Recently, I was reading an article from Alberta Grains’ newsletter The Growing Point on winter wheat production. At the end of the article was a link to a factsheet. That link took me to an Alberta Agriculture Agdex publication — which I wrote 16 years ago, […] Read more

Blackleg testing is relatively new and it can be difficult to understand or interpret the test results.

2023 Canola Guide, Canola, Canola Production Guide

Disease testing uptake low despite benefits

Canola disease tests help growers better manage their fields

By Jim Timlick September 14, 2023

Canola disease testing is available free of charge in much of the Prairies, but uptake among growers and agronomists remains relatively low, according to industry officials. In Manitoba, the Pest Surveillance Initiative (PSI) lab has been offering free clubroot testing since 2014. The Manitoba Canola Growers Association lab also offers free blackleg and verticillium stripe […] Read more

Testing for voltage drop requires current to be flowing in the electrical circuit. For the starter circuit, that means the key should be turned to the “start” position. | photos courtesy of Scott Garvey

Machinery

How to diagnose a no-start problem

Trace the reason for a no-crank condition on older equipment

By Scott Garvey July 31, 2023

Nearly every farm has at least one or two older pieces of equipment that still need to put in a day’s work during busy seasons, such as an auger tractor or sprayer tender truck. One of the most common problems on older machines is the sound of silence after you hop in and turn the […] Read more

Field-by-field mapping could improve yield, productivity predictions

U.S. grains: Corn futures edge up, soybeans sag on improving US crop ratings

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures up, hogs mixed

GFM Network News