Better Farming will publish nine editions of its Prairies magazine in 2020. After publishing each edition, we share a feature article online. Each Better Farming Prairies magazine includes much more content – you won’t want to miss it. If you don’t receive the print edition of Better Farming Prairies, but you enjoy reading the articles below, be sure to subscribe to the magazine!
By setting SMART goals, producers can grow business success and realize personal satisfaction.
by Jackie Clark
At this time of year, many of us think about the future. As we move from one year to the next, our thoughts shift from the harvest season behind us to the opportunities available in the spring.
Often, people might take a moment to think of, or even record, a few resolutions for the year ahead.
Your goals can focus on the farm business but can also be personal or family-related.
From self-driving tractors to sensors on implements, we explore how autonomy is advancing the ag industry.
by Taryn Milton
The future is already here, when it comes to autonomous equipment. What remains to be seen is how we fulfill the promise of the technology – to make a farmer’s job easier and to improve efficiency and profitability.
So how do we get from here to there?
Business risk management programs offered through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and provincial/territorial ministries need to change for participation to increase, ag industry leaders say.
by Taryn Milton
Farmers face many risks annually. Market volatility, unpredictable weather, high input costs and crop or animal disease are all factors that can shape yields or production levels.
As growers develop their plans, industry experts reflect on the 2020 season and highlight new product offerings for 2021.
by Taryn Milton
The 2020 crop year taught us many lessons about canola and wheat. While we anticipated some challenges, like the continued rise in clubroot and fusarium pressure, other hurdles, like the surge in wireworm pressure, were unexpected.
How can the grain industry continue to be sustainable while also meeting the demands of buyers and consumers?
by Taryn Milton
Keith Fournier, a third-generation Saskatchewan grain farmer, sees sustainable agriculture as a three-legged stool.
The first leg is the widely discussed environmental sustainability, the second one is economic sustainability and the third element is social-equity sustainability, he says.
Researchers seek more knowledge about the micro-organisms that live in and around the plant. Scientists aim to use their findings to help farmers improve their crops.
by Taryn Milton
Perhaps paradoxically, we can think of the plant microbiome – or the microbial community in and around the plant – as both an old and a recent field of study.
While blending family and business can be tricky, finding the right balance can set your farm family – and family farm – up for success.
by Taryn Milton
When Dan and Carol Ohler started farming with Dan’s parents, Neil and Elizabeth Ohler, the younger couple didn’t foresee the twisted – although ultimately positive – journey the experience would lead them on.
When farmers have questions about how to improve crop quality and yields, researchers can usually help to find the answers
by Geoff Geddes
Like life itself, farming is about addressing the hard questions: How do I combat the latest crop pest? Which farming practices are most beneficial? How did Mother Nature get such a warped sense of humour?
Better Farming connects with industry experts to learn the latest on pesky pests and dreaded diseases.
by Geoff Geddes
For city dwellers, the greatest threat from insects could be a bed bug infestation or a mosquito bite. But when farming is your livelihood, insects and plant diseases can bite into your bottom line in a hurry.
Since farming success requires competence on many fronts, Better Farming speaks with industry experts to learn some of their top strategies.
by Geoff Geddes
Though grain and oilseed farmers are often do-it-yourself types, they sometimes need a helping hand to get a leg up to succeed in business. The person who knows more about spraying the fields or playing the commodity markets can be a powerful ally.
