Reading Time: 9 minutes If you’ve been around livestock production for the past 20 years, the concept of using drag hoses to apply manure won’t strike you as anything so very new, yet the arrival of the Vogelsang dribble-bar application system with its precision distribution is generating a lot of interest and anticipation. The unit was on display at […] Read more
A new era for manure?
European design promises to put more manure where it can push the throttle on crop yields
Black barley gets its chance
The exotic strain is a hit with food enthusiasts — and maybe soon it will be a hit with farmers too
Reading Time: 4 minutes In the past 10 years, growers across Canada have been introduced to a parade of specialty and alternative crops. East and west, there’s been camelina, crambe, sainfoin and, of course, quinoa — with test plots indicating it might be grown here with even better quality than in South America. Black barley is among the newest […] Read more
A lean year ahead for combine sales
Innovation, improvement is making for the best new combines ever
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s said that yield is the ultimate measure of a growing season, and if that’s true, then the combine is the ultimate device for measuring success. Sales of combines, like most farm machines, are admittedly finding the going tough these days. In its most recent assessment, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) reported that North […] Read more
On the sidelines
Disease resistance isn’t a big corn or soybean issue today, but...
Reading Time: 6 minutes With so many stories about resistance hitting the farm news in the last five years, any new stories about chemical resistance on the farm now tend to generate one of two reactions: disinterest (approaching boredom) or a touch of hypersensitivity. Neither is the best reaction, especially with all the new learnings about the possibilities of […] Read more
What’s next for crop apps?
We’ve come a long way, but there’s a lot further we can go
Reading Time: 6 minutes “There’s an app for that!” They’re among the most often heard words in this data-driven world of mobile devices and services. Yet with the launch of app after app, not to mention all the buzz about the Cloud, new questions are cropping up, including several that we might never have thought we’d be asking. Have we […] Read more
Machinery Guide: Compact and utility tractors
Don't be fooled by appearances when it comes to performance
Reading Time: 3 minutes The word “small” can be very misleading, especially when it comes to farm tractors, so shift your thinking with a look at today’s compact and utility tractors. We’re hoping you’ll see that when it comes to performance, you can’t let yourself be fooled by appearances. These five manufacturers are touting designs and specifications that have […] Read more
The biotech industry, two decades later
Biotechnology is ready to turn 20, but it still hasn’t won the public relations battle
Reading Time: 5 minutes Biotechnology has been part of the farm landscape for nearly a generation, becoming a staple of agriculture in North America and spreading around the world. Yet there is still a vocal minority of non-farmers who are opposed to biotechnology. And it can seem like their number and their power is growing. Now the question is, […] Read more
A look back at thicker soybean stands
Is 2014 proof that we’ve been going in the wrong direction with soybean populations?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Sometimes it’s best to take a quick look in the rear-view mirror before considering where to go next. In farming, of course, it isn’t that simple. The weather next year will never be exactly the same as it was this year, and pest and disease pressures will vary too. Still, it’s essential to look for […] Read more
Manure for cover crop
Interest in cover crops keeps building; now add some more nutrients
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s undeniable that interest in cover crops has taken off in the past two or three years. Red clover is making a comeback, there’s more being done with multi-species covers, and there’s renewed interest in seeding covers into standing corn crops. There’s even more research into using cover crops as emergency forage sources. Now comes […] Read more
The slow road to traceability for grains and oilseeds
Traceability may be inevitable, and it may even be welcomed by farmers, but it is arriving in baby steps
Reading Time: 5 minutes The word gets rolled out every time there’s a scare about food-borne illness, or when a meat or vegetable recall hits the headlines. It’s traceability. On the food side of the agri-food industry, it’s a word that instils confidence and trust. Yet on the agricultural side — at least, on the crop side — it […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
