Prairie crop producers need to focus on conserving beneficial insects while simultaneously managing pest insects. Many of those beneficials help promote synergies and make the best use of other ecosystem service providers.
Videos
Producers urged to protect beneficial insects
When battling crop pests, a research scientist cautions farmers not to throw the baby out with the bathwater
Teamwork from a cow’s perspective
Costs of Production: How are you as a herd manager hitting the salary cap and identifying players that don’t fit?
Managing a herd of cows can be much like managing a sport team, as explained by Sean McGrath of Ranching Systems Ltd.
Salford row crop cultivator wins AE50 award
A new cultivator design allows for accurate high-speed tillage
Salford’s Precision Row Crop Cultivator models, which offer 12-, 16- and 24-row variants, incorporate several new features that impressed the AE50 judges.
Case IH introduces SenseApply
Variable-rate and spot-spray technology are now on offer for Patriot sprayers and Trident applicators
Case IH has joined the ranks of brands offering variable-rate and spot-spray technology on its application equipment. It bills SenseApply as “a live, variable-rate application technology, as well as a selective spray technology.”
Alfalfa aptitude: five things to consider when selecting varieties
In the case of alfalfa varieties, it’s usually well worth splurging for a top yielder
Yield tops Dan Undersander’s list of considerations for an alfalfa variety, for the simple reason that profitability increases with yield.
Later is better when spraying for fusarium
Some advice to growers still recommends spraying earlier, but researchers say recent studies point in the opposite direction
Research and field testing in North Dakota indicate the best time to spray for fusarium head blight is when the first flowers appear in the centre of the wheat head.
Mastering elastic band castration: techniques for a stress-free procedure
Manitoba rancher Jodi Suchoplas offers expert advice on the preferred castration method for cow-calf operations
When done properly, elastration is quick, requires minimal restraint, is less invasive than surgical methods, and eliminates the need for stitches. It’s also simply less stressful for both the animal and the handler.
A Saskatchewan farmer is combining weed control with harvest
The Seed Terminator, an attachment that destroys weed seeds on their way out of the combine, is being put to work on a farm north of Saskatoon
Josh Lade’s farm is all-in on a combine attachment called the Seed Terminator, on which he’s spent mid-six figures over the past seven years, making sure it’s put to work on every acre controlling what he calls “the fittest weeds of the year.”
It may be time for lime on acid soils
Liming may be an expensive option — but it’s the only proven method to raise soil pH
Acidic soil can plague crop producers with nutrient deficiencies and poor root growth, leading to reduced yields. Lime can be expensive, but may pencil out as the most important fertilizer treatment for those soils.
Let’s revisit the basics of investing in stocks
Investing for Fun and Profit: Three ways to invest, three culprits for poor performance — and three antidotes
This week we’re looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the three main ways to invest in stocks, as a path to achieve higher returns compared to cash, GICs or bonds. As investment vehicles go, pension funds are out of control of their individual investors, so let’s quickly move the discussion to areas where we have control.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
