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Equipment

Repairing today’s farm machines is now a much more complex matter than it used to be, both in how to and who can do it.
Equipment, Machinery

The ‘right’ solution

Manufacturers and dealers make their case in the divisive “right-to-repair” debate

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Here at Country Guide we’ve discussed the so-called “right to repair” machinery debate, most recently when a joint press release from a major dealer association and AEM, the association that represents most North American ag equipment manufacturers, announced concessions to allow for more access to the “brain” of machines to facilitate repairs. Our previous discussion […] Read more
Matt Johnson of M3 Aerial Productions says canopy reflectance tells you where you need to take a closer look.
Crops, Equipment

A drone spots a problem in your field. Now what?

Drone-mounted cameras measuring NDVI reflectance can identify crop problems, but not necessarily the cause. Researchers are looking for other tools that might

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It’s been more than a few years since drones made their debut in agriculture, but questions about whether they’re worth producers’ time aren’t going away. Most agricultural drones are set up to measure canopy reflectance using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a graphical indicator that assesses crop health by measuring canopy reflectance. Drones carrying […] Read more
Learning how to pick the best mushroom at the best time is helping get these robots ready for your farm.
Equipment, Guide Business

Artificial intelligence

… the brave new world of how you’ll farm, and eat

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It used to be that artificial intelligence was limited to the realms of science fiction and movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey or Terminator’s Skynet. Today, artificial intelligence is real — think Alexa or Google Home — and tools and applications putting it to use are emerging at a rapid clip in many fields, including […] Read more
California-based Thor expects to begin truck production in 2019.
Equipment, Machinery

A jolt for heavy trucks

In contrast to the farm sector, electrification is making rapid gains in heavy trucks

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Over the past several years, whenever Country Guide has tracked progress toward electrification in ag equipment, we’ve seen a stop-and-go process with manufacturers showing several new concept models one year, followed by little if anything the next. The contrast with the heavy truck sector is striking. There, we’re seeing a consistent and rapid march toward […] Read more
All three provinces require that farm machinery be covered by a one-year warranty from the date of first use, and that replacement parts be available for 10 years after purchase.
Equipment, Machinery

If you’re not happy with your purchase

All three Prairie provinces have protection for farm equipment purchasers, but the provisions differ

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If you’ve taken parts or equipment home but they’re not working as promised, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta all have farm implement acts providing for the dealer to repair or replace them. But while the three provinces have some similar protections, they also differ significantly. All deal with the sale, lease and lease-purchase of farm equipment […] Read more
The Wintex 2000 is popular in Western Canada but is now being replaced by Wintex 3000 units.
Crops, Equipment

Advanced soil sampling

It’s time to get excited about soil testing again… seriously!

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In many ways, a soil test represents an aspect of farming that is necessary yet unfairly and inaccurately viewed with about as much anticipation as filing an income tax return. Despite the fact that soil tests provide invaluable information and a potential road map for adding value to future crop plans, there isn’t an overall […] Read more
Truckers appreciate improved grain storage areas and equipment, and more room to manoeuvre Super-Bs.
Crops, Equipment

The view from the driver’s seat

The grain storage and transportation system depends more than ever on truckers. Here’s how that looks from their side of the windshield

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Discussions about Prairie grain transportation efficiency tend to focus on railways, railways — and railways. Often lost in the century-plus-old feud between farmers and the railroads is the connection between them — the truckers. The system can’t get along without them, and they’ve become even more important due to elevator and branch line closures. We […] Read more
Preliminary results suggest a built-in may outperform the Australian tow-behind version of the Harrington Seed Destructor in the hillier conditions in Western Canada.
Crops, Equipment

If you can’t spray ’em, crush ’em

While there’s no single solution to herbicide resistance, the Harrington Seed Destructor may be part of the toolbox

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Some of the most creative insights and practical solutions for battling herbicide-resistant weed control come from Australia. It was there, in 1996, that the world’s first documented case of glyphosate resistance was found in annual ryegrass, which is Australia’s No. 1 weed problem. As of January of this year, the Australian Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group […] Read more
A canola field seeded at 1.8 pounds per acre creates better air flow and allows for an easier harvest.
Crops, Equipment, Machinery

The reason for Monosem

This European planter isn’t new, but the mindset behind it is grabbing more attention among producers looking to cut costs and boost performance

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With the high cost of farmland, the focus for a growing number of producers these days is productivity. But this is productivity managed with an extremely sharp pencil. That helps explain the heightened interest in Monosem planters, because of their potential role in helping growers reduce their seed costs. Many growers have already attempted to […] Read more
Tom Wolf says “stronger, faster, higher” may not be the right approach for sprayers to provide maximum efficiency.
Crops, Equipment

Agrimetrix takes aim at exploding sprayer myths

Farmers today need to spray several times a year, and two former AAFC researchers have formed a company to help them get the product to the right place at the right time

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If Tom Wolf is the face of agricultural spraying in Western Canada, then Brian Caldwell is the hands. The two co-owners of Agrimetrix, an agricultural spray research and training company based in Saskatoon, share an overlapping skillset, but they have carved distinctive individual niches. Wolf spends much of his time talking about spraying in a […] Read more

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AGCanadaTV: In Case You Missed It – Your National Ag News Recap for Feb. 15, 2019

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