Robot weeder is on the way Monday, December 3, 2012 It started out as a robot that would cut the grass in urban parks. Somebody thought that spinning blades were a bad idea with kids and dogs on leashes around, and so the idea evolved into an automated lettuce weeder, according to The Economist magazine.The electric-powered Lettuce 'Bot, brainchild of Stanford University-trained engineers Jorge Heraud and Lee Redden, takes pictures of passing lettuce plants, compares them to a database of more than one million images of lettuce taken from all possible angles and instantly decides if they should live or die. A shot of concentrated fertilizer out the back end kills weeds and the remaining lettuce gets a growth blast as well. A version of the machine, currently under development, aimed at organic lettuce producers, favours those old spinning blades.The makers promise that the robots will be cost-competitive with hand weeding. BF Phosphorus levels in our lakes: Is no-till the culprit? Are urban farms too big?
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online