Some biostimulant products are meant to help see crops through environmental stressors such as unusual cold or heat.

Biologicals aren’t the silver bullet

The products can be complements, not replacements, for other inputs

Glacier FarmMedia — Biological products have been touted as replacements for synthetic chemistry and fertilizer in crop production, but that may be a false promise. According to one pitch, if farmers add biological X to the soil, they can cut nitrogen rates by 15 pounds per acre. According to another, biological Y can control a […] Read more


nitrogen nodules on faba beans

Nitrogen-fixing biologicals fall short at field level

Challenges remain for products to achieve their hoped-for potential

Glacier FarmMedia — Dave Franzen is a straight shooter. If he doesn’t know the answer, the North Dakota State University soil scientist will admit it; if he does, he’ll tell you. As an example, in the summer of 2022 researchers from land grant universities across the north-central U.S. studied commercially available, biological nitrogen-fixing products to […] Read more

Capacity to sit on this year’s crop waiting for a better price won’t be an option available to everyone.

Feeling the pinch

Uncertainty across commodity and input markets creates difficult choices for farmers

Farmers are facing a tight squeeze this fall. Commodity prices are low, and the lower input prices that they’re used to this time of year are not materializing. Keystone Agricultural Producers president Jill Verwey says it’s a tough time for growers. “Being able to make a profit this year is going to be pretty slim,” […] Read more



salford valmar ab640 at ag in motion

VIDEO: Salford introduces Valmar AB640 air boom applicator

New granular applicator gets a wider 90-foot air boom

Growers now have more choices than ever on how to apply a lot of fertilizer in a short amount of time. In July Salford introduced its newest and largest air boom applicator. With a 90-foot boom, the Valmar AB640 goes well past the brand’s previous flagship model, the 9620, which offers 72 feet of working […] Read more


bourgault side band shank

Three opener types available from Bourgault

Brand offers drills with side-band and mid-row fertilizer banding technology

Bourgault showed its PLS, PLX and PLDS openers at its display on the grounds of the Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Sask. in July. Like other popular brands, it’s best known for the the original opener design it went to market with several years ago. That was a single knife for seed placement […] Read more