Changing Perceptions for World Food Day

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once wrote, “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are” (Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es). Thinking this is where, the phrase “you are what you eat” comes from. Let’s toast today, October 16th  to World Food Day, which marks the founding date…

Spring Into The “Farming 4R Manitoba” Course – Now Available on GrowZone!

With the Spring season just around the corner, what better time than now to learn about 4R Nutrient Stewardship. The Farming 4R Manitoba online training course is now available on GrowZone – interested in preparing yourself socially, environmentally, and economically for the future? Gain specific knowledge for farmers in Manitoba with the Farming 4R Manitoba…

Nutrients are Alive – Bringing Agriculture to the Classroom with Nutrients For Life

We’ve all heard the slogan – “bring back play,” with the big idea of getting kids back outside, in the outdoors, away from the “boob tubes and Xboxes.” But what about agriculture in the classroom? How are we teaching our children about nutrients and what are their hands on learning opportunities? Even through I grew…

Where Do You Stand – What’s Your 4R Performance?

How Has 4R Nutrient Stewardship Been Performing For You? As we are beginning to understand the science and the research behind 4R nutrient stewardship we are curious to know – what’s been your experience this year.  How is it performing on your farm, in your fields, or what’s your opinion? As part of Farmtech 2015, the Canadian Fertilizer…

Oh Christmas Tree – Are your leaves so unchanging?

Each passing Christmas season seems to open the great debate with Canadians regarding our values surrounding real versus artificial trees for the holiday season. But as I pass the curbs and countrysides this year I hear the news that in 2014 Canadians spent more money on fake (artificial) trees than on real ones (Ottawa Citizen, 2014). Are there hidden values of…

Paving the Way 4R Water

Has the term environmental sustainability become an elephant in a room? Better referred to as a problem that no one wants to discuss, but at times it’s so obvious that it cannot be ignored. Well, let’s face it – environmental concerns can be tricky problems to navigate and many times are multi-faceted with no one real solution….

Introducing Precision Solutions

Part of the challenge with being a farmer these days, is not only operating the farm but also managing the growing pressures each year with increasing farm yields, competitiveness, new technology advancements, equipment challenges, weed control concerns, nutrient management, and many many more.  They can be a lot to manage and let’s not forget the…

A Sneak Peak at the PEI 4R Farm Tour for 2014!

An example of the quad copter that provided the aerial footage of the 2014 demo sites today on the Island! Quad copters during the tour provided aerial footage of the 2014 4R demonstration sites. In the next year, the project has plans to utilize drones, which will provide high resolution aerial data to help examine…

Still On The Fence With Variable Rate Technology?

Are you one of those farmers who are sitting on the fence in terms of adopting Variable Rate Technology (VRT)?  You are still undecided in adopting it versus traditional farming practices? Over the last few years VRT has become increasingly popular, but there still remain a number of common myths surfacing about the use and…

How Much Is Enough?

What are your planetary boundaries? How much land base do we require to sustain a healthy environment? Like the famous James Bond quote – “the world is not enough,” could there be truth saying in this? What are your Planetary Boundaries? Wikipedia defines the term Planetary Boundary as “a safe operating zone for humanity,” (Wikipedia,…

Salinity in the Prairies

Has your wet soil turned to salty soil?  Soil salinity can be best defined as salt content in the one’s soil.  Salt as most of us understand is a naturally occurring element found within the soils but recently has increased in some areas due to soil surface transportation and increased areas of salinization – the…

A Shifting Climate on the Prairies?

The recent flooding events in Manitoba and Saskatchewan have added fuel to the question – Are the weather patterns on the Prairies shifting?  Researchers over the last decade have suggested climate change could be impacting Prairie farmers across not only Canada but reaching far into portions of mid and southern sections of the United States,…