There are many different types of cover crop mixes being tried across North America.  Photo: John Greig

Follow nature or not?

Farmers and researchers differ on whether nature is the best guide for cropping practices

On Rick Bieber’s farm in South Dakota, he works hard to follow the rhythms and cycles of nature in his cropping and livestock system. He uses diverse cover crops and […] Read more



Dave McEachren plants corn into a biostrip on his Glencoe-area farm.  Photo: John Greig

Tilling with plants

Biostrips provide a way for no-till farmers to create more mellow planting strips without tillage

It’s strip-till for no-tillers – with no tillage. Sound confusing? Really, it’s not. Just ask Dave McEachren, or Dustin Mulock. The farmers both use biostrips to get some of their […] Read more


Knowing the genetic potential of dairy heifers long before they start producing milk has meant an acceleration of genetic improvement in dairy cattle.  Photo: John Greig

The end of the dairy breeder

Genomic testing has ushered in vast changes in how dairy genetics are developed in Canada

At the Lehoux dairy farm at Saint-Elizéar, Que., the family once had a market for bulls sold to dairy genetics companies. They still sell heifers and cows to other farmers, […] Read more