Laura Rance

Much to learn from pre-European farming on the Prairies

The prevailing narrative about agriculture’s origins on the Canadian Prairies ties it to the arrival of the Selkirk Settlers just over 200 years ago.

Transformation needed for carbon net-zero

As keynote presentations go, the kickoff speaker’s at a virtual conference on the sustainability of Canadian agriculture this week was a bit of a downer — at least initially.

Climbing costs, market price uncertainty adds to risks

It’s standing room only at the market outlook sessions during the winter farm meeting season, as analysts throw a confusing array of graphs and charts onto the screen and peer into their crystal balls.

Better tools, better management, greater benefit

Reporters on the farm meeting circuit have been picking up on anecdotal reports of farmers questioning the value of their investments in agricultural research through commodity checkoffs.

The many variables of farming

There’s much that farmers cannot control about the kind of year they will have in 2023.

Down on the farm, it’s been a year of surprises

With an incoming weather system expected to dump between 50 and 70 millimetres of rain and wet snow on southern Manitoba next week, the push is on across agro-Manitoba this weekend.

Recycled phosphorus could be element of food security

Newly published Manitoba research into the merits of recycled phosphorus could help reframe the multi-faceted debate around how farmers can sustainably feed the crops that produce our food.

Agriculture trade show plants seeds in farmers’ minds

LANGHAM, Sask. — It’s a given that farmers don’t flock to an outdoor farm show to hang out in a tent and listen to speakers. Unless of course, it’s raining.

The field demonstrations featuring big seeding and tillage equipment, spot-spraying drones, artificial intelligence and various expressions of autonomous agriculture drew spectators by the thousands at Ag in Motion here this week. The show returned to being a live event after two years of pandemic-induced measures that kiboshed most in-person events.

These new innovations on display focus on making agriculture more efficient, more productive, more precise and more environmentally sustainable. In theory at least, all of those things combined could put more money in farmers’ pockets, but there are usually significant upfront investments involved.

For farmers looking for a break from the hot sun or just a fresh take on managing their business, the speaker sessions were a treasure trove of ideas for how they can make more money with a minimum of capital investment. However, it takes time and a commitment to doing things a little differently.