We asked Alberta farmers to tell us about their favourite and most-used smartphone apps.

Research proposals involving ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) began to cross Lauren Comin’s desk three years ago. Since then, the gene-inhibiting technology has developed a revolutionary aura as a potential next big thing in crop protection.

Technology has worked its way into every aspect of grain marketing and many of these advances work to the benefit of the farmer.

It seems all economic sectors are now talking about how artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will change the way business is done.

Since the 2018 launch of THE Olds College Smart Farm and Smart Ag Innovation Centre, the college has continued to develop new agricultural programming.

Two projects funded in part by the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) and Alberta Barley are among a number studying the use of airborne disease spore collection devices—generally known as biosensors.

The University of Manitoba’s state-of-the-art model stomach mimics the digestive processes of the human stomach and upper intestine.

Commonly used for decades across North America, the analog Dole 400 Moisture Tester was a mainstay for farmers well after digital units featuring touchscreen display and Bluetooth connectivity took over.

With certain pockets of Western Canada being dealt losing hands at harvest year after year, grain drying is moving from a “nice to have” to a “need to have.”

Darcy Goossen has been farming full-time for more than two decades, but he’s been an inventor his whole life. The Ferintosh farmer can’t even count the number of “handy dandy farm tools” he’s made, but now there is one that certainly stands alone in his mind. Goossen’s Tiregrabber took home the prestigious honour of Best Invention at Canada’s Farm Progress Show (FPS) in Regina, SK, this past year. He edged out Robert Pytlyk, creator of a predator-proof chicken run.