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CLEAR FOR TAKEOFF

The use of drones has become commonplace in agriculture. The Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI)uses them in applied research activities. In the 2023 growing season, more than 10 such projects required drone flights to capture high resolution images and create datasets using cameras and sensors.

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DYNAMIC DUO

To protect the midge tolerance gene and ensure it continues to do its job, tolerant wheat must be sown as a varietal blend, 10 per cent of which is susceptible to midge. This limited sacrifice to the insect ensures it does not evolve countermeasures. Breeding these all-but-identical pairings is a tricky task, but they are needed now more than ever.

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NEW BARLEY GOES ABROAD

In recent years, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) has worked with major malting and brewing customers in China to facilitate commercial malting and brewing trials. This is the final stage in the roughly three-step process to secure new variety acceptance by end-users.

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A CALL FOR SCIENCE-BASED POLICYMAKING

Insect pests such as grasshoppers and flea beetles pose a significant perennial threat to western Canadian farmers. Once again, this year, they threatened to wreak havoc on Prairie grains, oilseeds and pulse crops. And one of the most effective pest management tools, lambda-cyhalothrin (branded as Matador and Silencer) was not much help, as it has become the latest victim of a federal bureaucracy that is in many ways out of touch with agriculture.

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EMISSIONS REDUCTION STRATEGY TAKES THE LEAD

Have you heard the story of the poor old farmer who lost his horse? All his neighbours came to him and said, “Well, that’s too bad.” The farmer said, “We’ll see.” The next day, the horse returned, bringing another horse with him. The neighbours proclaimed, “What good fortune!” to which the farmer replied, “We’ll see.” The next day, while taming the horse, the farmer’s son fell and broke his back. Again, the neighbours came to the farmer and said, “Well, that’s too bad,” and again, the farmer replied, “We’ll see.” Shortly thereafter, a conscription officer came to collect all the able-bodied young men in the area but rejected the farmer’s son due to his injury. Again, the neighbours came to the farmer and said, “What good fortune!” and again, the farmer said, “We’ll see.”

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NEXT-GEN STATS

In the fall of last year, BASF VP of public affairs Julia Hamal told a crowded room of ag industry professionals something they already knew, namely that Canada’s sector is envied around the world. As Hamal spoke to the room at the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity’s Public Trust Summit, she was quick to add that Canada is not speaking as loudly as it could about its greatest qualities, such as its progressive regulatory environment.

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COVERAGE COMPARISON

Rural regions across the Prairies have long suffered from poor basic network and cellphone coverage. However, as farmers continue to ramp up their use of smart ag technology, the need for quality internet connection becomes more crucial, and the lack of connectivity becomes more frustrating.

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