Cow comfort and its impact on dairy’s carbon footprint
The Canadian dairy industry has made great strides in cow comfort over the past 20 years. It’s a story EastGen genetics veterinarian Dr. Tim Henshaw feels all dairy farmers should be actively telling all friends, neighbours ,and consumers within earshot. From mats and bedding for cows to lie on, to adequate stall space and better… Read More
Resistance Management School: Hitching a ride across the continent
Herbicide resistant weeds are spreading across counties, the country, and the continent. Weed seeds are hitching a ride on wind and water and being transported by everything from machinery and migrating geese to ducks and earthworms. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Resistance Management School, we’re joined by University of Guelph Ridgetown campus weed researcher, Dave… Read More
Taking a breather with Easter — this week in the grain markets
Grain prices finished a shortened trading week mostly in the red as the complex continues to ignore some negative weather forecasts on the basis that there’s amply grain stocks and that a crop today can get planted in a very short timeframe. Put another way, the bulls took a breather heading into Easter, with bears… Read More
Beef Market Update: USDA Cattle on Feed, calving season, and dry pasture conditions on the Prairies
Spring has sprung in the cattle industry as ranchers focus on calving and feedyards spread manure. There are many moving parts right now for the beef industry including trade deals, consumer demand, and any ripple impacts on the protein complex due to African swine fever. On Thursday the USDA released its Cattle on Feed report… Read More
“Know where your feed is coming from”: China culls upwards of 150 million pigs due to ASF
It’s no surprise to many that African swine fever (ASF) was one of the main topics discussed at the National Pork Management conference. The event, held at Nashville, TN., brought together a variety of industry stakeholders including producers, packers, chief financial officers, safety directors, and more. As it just wrapped up, RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney caught… Read More
Get a heads up on heat, calving, and even rustling with rumen bolus tracker
Temperature can tell you many things about an animal — if it’s beginning to fall ill, if it’s about to calve, or if it’s coming into heat. The technology to track temperature and movement of cattle comes in many forms, and a western Canadian company is offering a wireless communication rumen bolus that won’t get… Read More
Wheat Pete’s Word, April 17: Straw-sanity, whacky wheat, winter canola, and crab grass control
What’s yellow, baled, and wanted all over? Straw of course! The pretty sad wheat crop in Ontario has many farmers asking, “what’s straw worth?” and, “which cereal crop will give me the most?” Host Peter ‘Wheat Pete’ Johnson tackles that question and so much more in this week’s Wheat Pete’s Word. Hear more about straw… Read More
Corn School: Are your hybrids getting enough sulphur?
Breaking yield records has become routine for modern corn hybrids. Much of the credit goes to new and improved genetics, but those bin-busting yields also require more nutrients, and that demand extends well beyond N, P, and K. “As we continue to raise the yield bar we need to start looking at micronutrients with a… Read More
Pulse School: Why you should test your soil temperature
There’s a good chance you don’t test your soil temperature as much as you should. Crop extension specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, Cory Jacob says most farmers will test their soil here and there, but could benefit if they make it a habit. In this episode of the Pulse School, Jacob goes over why knowing your… Read More
Winter canola adds diversity to the rotation, avoids Swede midge
If you could move a chunk of acres to fall planting, diversify the crop mix, and get a jump on herbicide-resistant weeds, would you? All of that is an option with winter canola, but the crop isn’t without its challenges. Currently, there’s only one registered winter canola variety for Ontario growers, says Eric Page, research… Read More
Dairy School: Optimizing health and welfare in robot herds
Milking with single-box automated milking systems (AMS) has revolutionized the way dairy producers manage their herds. Current estimates indicate that 10 percent of the Canadian dairy herd are now milked by automated systems, and it’s growing. Globally, nearly 30,000 farms employ robots, according to a 2014 survey. Much of the conversation around dairy robots focus… Read More
Carbon credits, the national carbon inventory, and spending carbon tax dollars
As the federal government rolled out the carbon tax April 1, farmers and rural Canadians were understandably irritated. Among the feedback we received was a question that struck me — why don’t farmers get paid to store carbon in the soil? I was a little surprised, because, in at least one province, they do. Alberta… Read More
How to properly evaluate winter wheat stand survival
Ontario winter wheat growers have been expecting an unimpressive winter wheat stand, but early feedback from farmers and agronomists is proving that the 2019 crop may be even worse than expected. The sooner farmers can evaluate wheat stands properly the better, but conditions haven’t been conducive to the crop breaking dormancy. If the crop looks… Read More
Tariffs, climbing food costs, and what the summer season may hold for pork
Perhaps lost in the hustle and bustle of the USMCA trade dealings is the fact that Canada did retaliate against the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs with tariffs of our own on over 40 grocery and food related items. The full brunt of those tariffs is likely just beginning to be felt at the consumer… Read More
Canada’s dairy system attracts Turkish milk equipment company
Every year the Canadian Dairy XPO (CDX) attracts companies from all over the globe. Many of them have deep roots in Canada, but others, like Turkey’s Çapar milking systems, are new to the country, seeking to set up shop in one of the world’s most attractive dairy industries. Çapar started producing milking machines in Turkey… Read More
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High demand prompts RCMP to expand Saskatchewan crime watch advisory network
April 18 2019
Less than two months into a pilot project, Saskatchewan RCMP have announced it will be expanding its Crime Watch Advisory Network. The project first...Read more
Parrish & Heimbecker expands its Hamilton facility, adds new fertilizer tower to Kerwood site
April 17 2019
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Coming this spring—the ultimate burndown product
New Inferno Trio Herbicide offers unprecedented burndown weed control in wheat. This spring, Arysta LifeScience Canada will launch Inferno Trio...Read more
Latest RealAg Radio
RealAg Radio, April 18: The future of agronomy, Wheat Pete’s Word, and financial farm success
April 18 2019
For Thursday’s RealAg Radio show, host Shaun Haney has the following guests on the show: RealAgriculture’s Lyndsey Smith and Yara Canada...Read more