Reading Time: 6 minutes Extraordinary. Revolutionary. Game-changing. Those are just some of the adjectives being used to describe robotic weed management, a technology that is generating considerable anticipation based on the initial research into its benefits in a row-crop environment. The list of key players and systems includes WEEDit, Xarvio, Bosch, Agrifac and Einböck. And the potential is large […] Read more
Robotic weed management takes to the fields
The potential for cost savings and precise control is enormous
Preparing the next generation to take over the farm
How can you be sure they’re ready for the responsibility of running the operation?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Transferring the farm to the next generation is a complicated affair that involves finances, tax implications, legal strategies and good communication among all those affected. With all those balls in the air, the one element that Mom and Dad often think about, but somehow don’t actually get serious about, is whether the next generation is […] Read more
Editor’s Note: Can you see it from here?
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a question I asked in one of my first columns after Country Guide shifted to its business focus. Can we see where we’re heading? I was worried. We were all worried. What would happen if the good times ended? It’s a question to come back to after reading “10th Generation,” associate editor Lorraine Stevenson’s […] Read more
Diesel prices expected to trend lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Canadian producers may enjoy a lower diesel bill during spring seeding, as reductions in demand have weighed on diesel prices across North America. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said retail diesel prices are down by about 10 to 15 cents per litre since the beginning of the year. The drop […] Read more
3D printing: The next frontier in food
Innovation: Global commercialization is already ramping up on projects that were inconceivable only a couple of years ago
Reading Time: 4 minutes While burgers made from plants instead of animals are all the rage today, and many popular restaurant chains are jumping on the alternative-meat bandwagon, a Spanish startup is taking the concept one step further. Novameat has developed a plant-based “meat” that mimics the texture of a real steak — and that can be printed by […] Read more
Hanson Acres: It’s mid-winter. The wind is blowing. This is farming?
When the Hansons set off for a break, it seemed such a great idea
Reading Time: 4 minutes By the kids’ week-long break from school in mid-February, Elaine was getting a little stir-crazy. “I know we’re not taking a big holiday this winter, but maybe we could just get out of here for a couple of days?” she said to her husband Jeff. “Maybe Minot?” It was the third day in a row […] Read more
How to protect yourself online
Cybercriminals used to go after big business. Now they know you’re easier to hit
Reading Time: 4 minutes The internet has been a boon to farm businesses. Whether it’s ordering farm supplies online, hosting an online store, problem solving, communicating with the farm team and other farmers, accessing detailed weather forecasts or marketing info, the list of the ways we rely on the internet every day is long. Unfortunately, as the internet has […] Read more
Ag leaders for tomorrow
It will take innovative thinking to solve our global ag and food problems. Think it can’t be done? Read on
Reading Time: 9 minutes How do we feed a hungry world? That was the question posed to 100 young people, 18 to 25 years old, from 45 countries when Bayer CropScience brought them together in Brasilia, Brazil, for the 4th biannual Youth Ag Summit in November. It is a critical question. Amid all the numbers a farmer sees every […] Read more
You want to grow your farm business. But how?
Next Steps: These tools are a mix of business theory and practical on-farm wisdom, which is why they’ll help you find opportunities
Reading Time: 7 minutes In January’s column we looked at how the process of business strategy planning helps orient you on the goals map. But that still leaves a big question: How do you get there? If you’re an existing farm, this means developing a growth strategy. In 1957, Igor Ansoff, known as the father of strategic management, established […] Read more
Keep it smart
How about a little maintenance for the organ you depend on the most
Reading Time: 5 minutes The old adage, “use it or lose it” really is true when it comes to our brains. Problem solving, processing speed and thinking can all go downhill as we age, says Dr. Fraser Smith, a professor, researcher and clinician at the National University of Health Sciences near Chicago. But there’s good news too. We can […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
