Most read

Featured

THE NEXT BIG THING

Interest in gene editing is on the rise, and this technology is now being used in cereal breeding for the first time. As wheat farmers continue to grapple with climate change, politics and consumer demand in their quest for black ink, gene editing—the process of adding to, removing or changing an organism’s DNA—may help balance these demands.

Keep Reading
PREPARE FOR SUCCESS

According to research from Farm Management Canada (FMC), less than one in four Canadian farmers have a written farm business plan. Such a document serves as a decision-making roadmap. While it can be used to manage and mitigate risk, it also sets a course to achieve goals.

Keep Reading
STAYING POWER

Farmers are skilled at many tasks. Marketing an entire season of crops while in line at Tim Hortons or properly sampling a super-B of grain while scrolling social media are but two examples. One thing many farmers just aren’t too good at, though, is retirement. For so many, 65 really is just a number. With the wisdom they’ve acquired in the art and science of farming, they can continue to make a difference. And given the standard auto features and air-rider comfort of new-model tractors, the work has become more physically accommodating for senior farmers.

Keep Reading
NEW DIRECTIONS IN TRACTOR TECH

As farms continue to increase in size, certain equipment manufacturers race to provide high-horsepower machinery that can stretch a farmer’s reach when they seed, spray and harvest. Farmers also require these increasingly efficient options to contend with a shrinking agricultural labour pool.

Keep Reading
SHORT LINES LONG ON VALUE

The country’s agriculture sector owes much to innovative ag entrepreneurs, many of them farmers, who have invented first-of-its-kind products that solve pressing problems. Collectively, their independent companies are known as short line manufacturers. A term they’ve grown into, it delineates how they create tailored solutions for localized problems.

Keep Reading
SHARED ACCOMMODATION

Oil and gas production remains the province’s golden ticket, but with a sustained push, renewables continue to fight for market share. So many projects have gone into development or are at the assessment stage, it’s been hard to keep up. One of the newest types of builds is agrivoltaics, which has attracted big interest from farmers and corporate investors alike.

Keep Reading
AI HAS ARRIVED

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly revolutionizing processes that underpin sectors from astronomy and health care to manufacturing and entertainment. Research and development of AI in agriculture and agri-food is likewise revolutionary, with products now available or galloping toward commercial release.

Keep Reading
BIOLOGICALS BOOM

Substantial growth in the biologicals market has been driven in part by stricter pesticide regulations and by farmers who wish to produce higher yielding, more resilient crops. Biologicals represent a broad category of plant protection products, including biostimulants, biopesticides and biofertilizers.

Keep Reading
ENDANGERED SPECIES

Prairie farmers continue to deal effectively with grain diseases of all kinds. This is due to an efficient new variety pipeline, access to certified seed and a host of crop protection products and cultural practices. Reassuring as this is, farmers must remain vigilant in the fight against crop diseases such as Fusarium head blight, rust, bunt and smut. Likewise, researchers work to produce resistant varieties and create tools so farmers can curb incidence rates.

Keep Reading
QUALITY CONTROL

While school exams can cause anxiety, testing seed can net valuable quality information and peace of mind. “Testing of any seed at harvest, as well as testing throughout storage, is very important,” said Sarah Foster, president and senior seed analyst at 20/20 Seed Labs in Nisku. “Seed is at its prime when it first comes off the field. If you store it at the right moisture level, dry it when necessary and monitor it in the bin, you can maintain it in prime condition.”

Keep Reading
Go to TOP