The ag industry is driven by those who show up.

Toban Dyck: Get involved in the agricultural sector

Show up for the AGMs for the groups you’re funding. You won’t regret it


My room was on the fifth floor. I needed to get there. I was bushed (I sometimes say zonked, but I don’t know if that’s a word my family made up or if it’s in the dictionary). The elevator I needed to take was at the end of a long hallway, then to the right […] Read more

Bitcoin market price (USD).

I’m not quite ready for blockchain deals

On-line banking is pretty digital — money comes in, money goes out, I never see it

The next time I am buying an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia or even just dabbling in selling a half million tonnes of wheat to China I am definitely doing it through a blockchain. I’m not trusting the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce with this level of business. Why blockchain, you ask? Well for us […] Read more


farmer in soybean fields

What are the “best of the best” doing?

Is your farm in the top of the field? If not, can you find a way to get there?

“The success of any farm enterprise, regardless of size, geography, or commodity is directly related to the farm business management skills and practices of the farm manager.” This is a quote from a session I attended at FarmTech, put on by Farm Management Canada. Farm Management Canada has gathered some very interesting information in an extensive cross-Canada survey focusing on best […] Read more

FarmTech update continued

Weather and market information picked up on the winter meeting speaker circuit

While at FarmTech in Edmonton, I had a chance to hear speakers talk about weather and markets. Drew Lerner from World Weather Inc. is always popular. This year, he aptly named his presentation “Wild and Whacky Weather.” Lerner’s key message was that the weather across the Prairies and the U.S. is deeply influenced by the […] Read more


Some speakers noted that when the U.S. dollar falls, the Canadian dollar is pushed higher. This won’t be good for grain prices.

Market outlooks at Farm Tech 2016

Understanding Market Bulls and Bears: Two farm marketing experts were analyzing the markets in Edmonton in January

I attended Farm Tech 2016 in Edmonton this January to see the latest in Ag technology. This three-day ag information show was an early sellout once again, which shows just how popular it is. Those those attending the show are getting younger. On the technology side there continues to be exponential development in the areas […] Read more

young farmer

Working with returning kids

Learn how to relate to the next generation when they come home to farm

In a high-energy keynote presentation at this year’s FarmTech conference in Edmonton Jason Dorsey, a U.S.-based expert on generational differences and the chief strategy officer of the Center for Generational Kinetics, briefed a packed conference hall on the sources of strife between parents and children in family businesses. His audience was ready to hear his […] Read more


farm equipment seeding canola

What’s the word on the street

Home from his trip to Farm Tech in Edmonton, Brian Wittal shares his insights 
from the conference hallways and his forecast for 2015 seeded canola acres


Having just returned from the FarmTech conference in Edmonton I thought it would be a good time to pass on to you some of my insights from the sessions and networking over the three days. After taking in three different grain market outlook sessions I came away with a broad range of information from three […] Read more

Combine in a field.

Australia tackles herbicide resistance

Farmer Down Under are looking to mechanical weed control 
to deal with herbicide resistant weeds

The expensive and time consuming weed control measures most Australian grain farmers are facing should stand as a clear warning to western Canadian farmers not to take the issue of herbicide resistant weeds lightly. Australian weed researcher, Michael Walsh, recently speaking to prairie farmers at the FarmTech Conference in Edmonton, made it abundantly clear if […] Read more