Reading Time: 8 minutes On-farm research is one of those things that sounds great in theory, especially with the technology at hand today. But how can agronomists and farmers reap results they can use, and count on? Saskatchewan crop consultant Mike Palmier offers one case study. Working with a farming client, he’s found that leaving taller crop stubble in […] Read more
Research on the farm
After observing higher yield in some fields, an agronomist worked with a farmer client to set up a trial that yielded practical results
Prairies expected to be cooler, wetter this year
A La Niña weather pattern is on its way and may even bring timely spring rains
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s a good chance western Canadian farmers and ranchers will see rain in April and May to get crops started and grass growing, says a U.S. based weather scientist.
So long AIM — it was another good run
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s all over now except for the crying, folks. Ag In Motion (AIM) 2017 is history. And really the only crying that might be done, is by the dedicated volunteers and employees of the show who stay on the AIM grounds near Langham, SK for another 10 days to two weeks to clean up and […] Read more
AIM for Hart, Day 2: The road to success, one scoop at a time
Reading Time: 4 minutes I announced yesterday to a couple colleagues who work for the Western Producer, “We are wasting our time and energies writing stories. What idiots. If we want real financial success in life — sell ice cream.” That was my take home message from Day 2 (Wednesday) at the Ag In Motion (AIM) farm show near […] Read more
AIM for Hart: An informative first day
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s official. If you want your province to dry out call Charles Schmidt. This climatological fact was among the many things I learned at the first day of the 2017 Ag In Motion (AIM) farm show near Langham, Sask. Tuesday (about 20 minutes from Saskatoon — the show is still running Wednesday and Thursday, so […] Read more
Watching for bears
Change Makers: Saskatchewan’s Franck Groeneweg defends his farm against factors that prevent him changing as fast as he needs to
Reading Time: 7 minutes Franck Groeneweg is a young, progressive agri-businessman from central Saskatchewan, and like most of his neighbours, he accepts the fact the only constant in life and in farming is change. “There is always going to be change, and I try to embrace it,” Groeneweg says. “I look at it and ask, what is the opportunity […] Read more
Selling your grain at an optional price
Don’t know how (or when) to sell your grain using options? You aren’t the only one, so this advice may help
Reading Time: 3 minutes Maybe your primary marketing plan has always been to consider forward-pricing and delivery contracts that are offered by local elevators, even though you know it doesn’t always work out as well as you’d like. Tyler Welygan-Reiling of Agra Risk Solutions suggests the following basic strategy that uses some of the marketing tools available in the […] Read more
Looking for more price security when selling grain?
Basic marketing tools can generate some of the quickest paybacks on the farm. Here’s how one advisory company gets its farmers started
Reading Time: 6 minutes Pulling out of the farm gate with a loaded grain truck, a producer can turn right and go to a local elevator that is posting a price that’s $20 a tonne more for your crop, or you could turn left and go to another elevator that’s paying $20 less. Which is the best choice? Reality […] Read more
Lessons learned from the last crop
It pays to do some ‘regressive analysis’ to see if some practice or treatment helped a crop excel even under adverse conditions
Reading Time: 3 minutes Yield results aren’t necessarily the end of the story, says a longtime western Canadian agrologist who recommends farmers get more scientific about how they use those yield numbers as a reference point for examining the past season, and for planning the next year. Increasingly, data analysis will drive crop production, says Rob Saik, who founded […] Read more
Gigs of data at work on the farm
Data Analysis: Rigorous analysis of numbers from the field helps this farm achieve its business objective
Reading Time: 8 minutes When Josh Fankhauser isn’t in the shop fine tuning some equipment, he’s often at his office computer, wading through gigabytes of crop production data and analyzing numbers. Like a lot of farmers, Fankhauser is happy with a wrench in his hand, and in a world where the ethos is “throw it out, buy new,” he […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
