Real Garant began his work life at 18 farming grain and forages with his father and two brothers in the Donnelly area. In winter, he took a job at a local sawmill operated by relatives. A general labourer, he was inquisitive and bombarded maintenance staff with questions. Over following seasons, he serviced air and electrical systems and began welding and machining various parts. To beef up his farm skillset, he took an apprentice machining course at NAIT. Soon after, he established a small shop on the farm. Customer demand grew quickly. He rented his land to his brothers and threw himself into the launch of his own full time business, Donnelly Machining and Fabricating. The business serves a wide variety of clients in agriculture and agri-food manufacturing, the heavy equipment and forestry industries and even schools and hospitals. It’s a go-to business in the Upper Peace Region, but it is Garant’s 2022 product the Spider Hitch, which launched a second enterprise that carries international potential.

Nitrogen is a fundamental driver of plant growth, yet a significant portion of what is applied annually by farmers is not taken up by the crop. When nitrogen fertilizer is applied to a field, a portion is lost to greenhouse gas emissions, leaching and run-off. “It’s an inefficiency problem,” said Chad Matthies, chief growth officer of Ukko Agro, a Toronto-based ag tech company.

Until recently, Saskatchewan attracted less than one per cent of Canadian tech venture capital dollars. In 2019, Conexus Credit Union of Regina established its business incubator, Cultivator, to kick-start the province’s modest tech sector. “Saskatchewan was missing out in a big way because we didn’t have this tech ecosystem,” said director Laura Mock.

In August 2025, GrainsWest spoke with Wolf about the use of optical spot sprayer technology in Western Canada. As a variety of products enter the marketplace and advancements in this technology roll out, he predicts big things are yet to come.

BY TREVOR BACQUE • PHOTO COURTESY OF CORTEVA It’s taken many years of research and policy discussions, but it’s almost here. By 2027, American farmers will be able to purchase and grow hybrid wheat. Late in 2024, Corteva Agriscience announced its proprietary hybrid wheat system that pushes yield potential by 10 per cent and up […]

Popularly known as the Blue Book, Alberta’s Crop Protection Guide, is a manual for the use of crop protection products by Alberta farmers and agronomists. This trusted resource helps users navigate the complexities of chemical application.

Perspective is everything and the high-flying bird’s-eye view provided by drones delivers plenty of it. Outfitted with state-of-the-art software augmented with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, drones are increasingly used for an impressive array of agricultural applications.

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.

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.

In its second big year, CrossRoads 2024 offers a vibrant selection of speakers and sessions from Jan. 29-31 at The Westin Calgary Airport. The event’s theme is “New ideas and directions: examining big picture innovation in agriculture.” This emphasis on innovation extends to a wide range of areas, including agronomy, business management, government policy and sustainability. The inaugural event attracted about 800 participants. CrossRoads is for farmers and a wide variety of agricultural professionals interested in its cutting-edge information sessions, lively and informative discussion opportunities and industry networking.