Better Farming publishes nine editions of its Prairies magazine each year. 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 Kristen Lutz
“We are going into a new season, let’s stay positive,” says Ian Boxall, president and director of District 4 with Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS).
After the extreme drought of last year’s growing season, western Canadian producers are ready for a fresh start. However, they are already faced with their first challenge before the snow has melted: high fertilizer prices.
by Kristen Lutz
Soil health is a complex subject muddied down by finding the right mix of elements that contribute to optimal conditions.
Whether it’s soil structure, organic matter, or good microbial content, what exactly contributes to happy, healthy soil? Has the definition and goal changed in the last few years?
The answer is often dependent on what the producer is looking to get out of their land.
By Colleen Halpenny
As Prairie producers gear up for a strong 2022 growing season, optimum seeding is key to getting off to a solid start.
From proper equipment maintenance and ensuring soil health, to weed control and seed selection, we’ve compiled a handful of early-season ideas to ensure success and boost yields.
Before you even head to the field, is your drill up to the task?
By Becky Dumais
Farms are important businesses that run serious equipment, yet their rural location puts them at a disadvantage for securing a reliable, high-speed internet connection. What good are those technology-enabled systems if you can’t even get online? Simply having internet access is no longer enough; being restricted by a limited choice of providers or burdened with costly overages is also unacceptable.
By Colleen Halpenny
As Canadian farms continue to feel the pinch of a shrinking labour force, our industry actively searches for solutions.
“Producers across the country are facing tough realities,” says Gary Stordy, director of government and corporate affairs for the Canadian Pork Council. “The supply chain has been hit at all levels.”
Closing a processing plant because it can’t retain enough staff has far-reaching effects, for example.
By Kristen Lutz
“Without innovation, we would probably still be using ox and plows – and even that was an innovation,” says Adrian Rivard, president and operations manager of Drone Spray Canada.
For years, new farming technologies have focused on improving yield, enhancing profitability, solving labour shortages and reducing environmental impact. Technological advancements are constantly being introduced and producers work hard to stay on the cusp of technology to tackle these challenges.
By Becky Dumais
Prairie producers are routinely at the mercy of the elements; drought and disease prevail at will. They’re also not immune to being victims of crime. The headlines that frequent the news – and the variances in types of incidents – illustrate that thieves are not discerning, just desperate.
Breaking and entering, hay theft, stolen tractors, animals – even maple syrup and lobster … theft reaches producers from agriculture to aquaculture. It’s garnered enough attention to warrant a TV series on CBC.
By Kristen Lutz
With the drought, extreme heat and residual impacts of the pandemic, what else will producers encounter? Unfortunately, the challenges for growers may not be over just yet. The adverse weather conditions a large region of Western Canada experienced are a recipe for herbicide carryover, adding another challenge to this year’s growing season.
By Lisa Kopochinski
Five years ago, an idea was germinating to bring organizations together to create one new, national seed association. Seeds Canada officially sprouted on Feb. 1, 2021 and has been working to bring together the diverse expertise and interests of the industry under one roof to offer increased value to the country’s seed sector from coast to coast and internationally.
By Kristen Lutz
With harvest season ending, it’s time to reflect on the recent growing season. Although 2021 may have thrown everything it could at producers, experts say there are still lessons to learn that will perhaps act as guidance for what could be an equally challenging 2022.
“I feel like we can sum up the major challenges for 2021 in one word: drought,” says Rory Cranston, the North American technical development manager at Bayer Crop Science.