Digital tools are increasingly transforming the way farmers operate and interact with machinery. And while discussions about right-to-repair policies continue, equipment dealers have been adopting new strategies to accommodate the service needs of producers. The latter group, however, also likely needs to service their expectations. Why it matters: The relationship with digital tools in the […] Read more
Changing service expectations
The sector is undergoing an evolution in how dealer service is valued, as digital tools increase
Consumer visits to farm pay off in increased support: survey
Most Canadians aren’t yet ready to embrace lab-created meat
Consumers who visit a working farm are more likely to have a very positive perception of commercial farms. However, about 70 per cent of those surveyed recently by Grassroots Public Affairs in its annual Grassroots Greenhouse report have never visited a working farm. Twenty-five per cent rated their perception as a positive 10 on a […] Read more
Well-known Jersey farm to process its own milk
Processing facility almost ready at Sargent Family Dairy to make milk, butter and camembert cheese
A new building has been rising within sight of the well-respected Enniskillen dairy barn, within a couple of hundred barn near the Old Scugog Road. The new on-farm processing facility is bright blue with a prominently displayed circular logo featuring the distinctive shape of a Jersey cow. It’s almost ready to begin production as a […] Read more
Producers like flexibility of grass-based forage options
Weather, rootworm resistance are reasons to consider alternative crops
While most Ontario dairy producers are watching alfalfa stands and the weather forecast to determine the ideal date for first cutting, several others are eyeing different crops – mainly fall-planted grasses or small grains – as their first 2021 opportunity to add to forage feedstocks. Throughout the growing season, depending on rainfall and the degree […] Read more
Keeping farmer’s machine, making it green
Hagie application tools get more Deere, but keep the layout and feel of the original machine designs
Glacier FarmMedia – For those producers who have owned or followed the history of the Hagie, the 2022 model year will offer substantial changes, but it appears to be keeping the elements that have made the Hagie machines unique. Born on Ray Hagie’s Clarion, Iowa, farm at the end of the Second World War, the […] Read more
Milk fever prevention diet not recommended for first-lactation heifers
University of Guelph study indicates negative DCAD may affect first-lactation fertility
Taking the study of milk fever in dairy cattle from a research environment into commercial Ontario farms produced largely predictable findings for the University of Guelph’s Department of Population Medicine, but also one unexpected result. It found that reproductive performance of first-lactation heifers, in contrast to their older herd counterparts, was slightly impaired when eating […] Read more
How to get drones into fields, doing useful work
The value of the tech has often been oversold, despite potential for useful applications on farms
For some ag-tech enthusiasts both, realizing the full potential of drones on farms and ranches requires a better overall understanding of the technology’s limitations in agricultural systems, as well as less marketing misdirection. The financial and time commitments required to accrue, process and act on drone-derived data has been a significant barrier to achieving the […] Read more
Sheep and solar panels make an efficient mix
Science Notes: Researchers found solar panel field grazers had same gain as conventionally grazed sheep
Land productivity could be greatly increased by combining sheep grazing and solar energy production on the same land, according to new research by Oregon State University scientists. This is believed to be the first study to investigate livestock production under agrivoltaic systems, where solar energy production is combined with agricultural production, such as planting agricultural […] Read more
Consistent feed crucial in dry cows
Avoiding changes in diet before calving has been shown to keep cows in better condition
Glacier FarmMedia – It’s all about consistent feed intake and maintenance of rumen health for dairy cows in the transition period before calving. There was a time when producers believed a drop in feed intake in the high-straw diet was a natural process for cows in the days or weeks before calving, said Trevor DeVries, […] Read more
FCC changes Ontario leadership
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has appointed Perry Wilson as vice-president of operations in Ontario, following the retirement of his predecessor John Geurtjens. Wilson has over 15 years of experience leading a variety of teams at FCC, most recently as senior director of FCC’s London district in Ontario. He grew up on a hog farm in […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
