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Gus Ternoey's Blog – March 2012 Archive (3)

My Mistake - My Opportunity

With the summer like temperatures last week, I couldn't keep myself out of the field.  I took advantage of the warm weather to burn down the grass on the banks and burn off some bean straw piles in the field in uncharacteristic comfort - a short sleeve shirt in March.  And although the calendar scared me away from working any ground, that volunteer wheat which I left in the field last fall to prevent the ground from blowing was starting to look a bit big.  So I rushed home from work,…

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Added by Gus Ternoey on March 27, 2012 at 1:42pm — 2 Comments

When Neighbours Stop by - its a good thing

The day started off with intent to make good use of this summer like weather in winter.  With spring around the corner, I have a great deal of pre-field work field work to do.  There is always a few broken tile that need repair.  I have dug up a few with the old fashioned method - the spade.  But today I hooked up the three point hitch backhoe.  This is a great tool - not too big and heavy and much easier than shovelling by hand.  So I started out by extending a culvert i dug in last year…

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Added by Gus Ternoey on March 18, 2012 at 1:58pm — 1 Comment

Hard to work off the farm

The "slow" pace of winter months has been keeping me exceedingly busy lately.  Between getting paper work in order for tax time, learning and repairing my new to me grain header, general repairs and maintenance I must find time to work a full time job.  With todays warm weather it was like torture to read the odd tweet about other farmers using the good weather to get equipment ready.  To make maters worse, the plant lost its computer network today, so it was a bit slow at times, those times…

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Added by Gus Ternoey on March 7, 2012 at 2:05pm — 1 Comment

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Farm tractor struts its stuff on F1 track

A Valtra T236 reached 54 mph at the Red Bull Ring in Austria

Diploid Potato Breeding May Improve Yield and Storage

AAFC researchers have found that diploid potatoes offer improved genetics, high yields, and disease resistance, providing a resilient alternative for Canadian potato growers.

Boosting soybean protein: The essential role of zinc and sulfur in sustainable crop production

Soybean is a critical element of the global food supply: Between its use for animal feed and human consumption, it accounts for roughly two-thirds of plant-based protein meal output world-wide. Canada is a global leader in sustainable soybean production, with 70% of its crop, one of the country’s top three by value, exported annually. According to Brazilian scientist Gabriel Montanha, soy production has “exploded” in recent decades to meet demand – but there hasn’t been a corresponding increase in soybean’s protein content. “To ensure soy remains a sustainable crop, we need to increase the protein content of soy seeds,”  says Montanha, who is doing a postdoctoral fellowship at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. “It's critical we find ways want to generate more protein without increasing the amount of land we’re currently cultivating.” Montanha and colleagues used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), and Brazil

New insights into lung health risk for female farmers

Exposure to a mix of common airborne agricultural contaminants could lead to lung effects in females, a new University of Saskatchewan (USask) study has uncovered. Farmers are exposed daily to a variety of potential contaminants such as endotoxins (substances associated with certain bacteria) in dust, which are well-known to trigger lung inflammation and asthma. However, how endotoxins specifically impact women’s health is not well understood, particularly when there is also exposure to a herbicide called glyphosate, widely used in agricultural work. Now, USask researchers have detected lung effects in female mice models just five days after a combined exposure, simulating the same quantity of endotoxins and herbicide farmers could breathe over a work week. The team was able to take detailed images of the affected lungs thanks to the powerful X-rays of the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at USask. These images showed that fluid had built up in the lungs during this short exposure perio

Wet harvest? Protect Stored Cereals from OTA

Wet harvest conditions across parts of the Prairies have put added focus on how cereal grain is managed in storage. Cool, wet weather has slowed harvest progress in some areas, with reports of tough cereals and grain quality concerns. For growers bringing grain off at higher moisture levels, careful drying, cooling and monitoring will be especially important this fall. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that can develop in stored cereal grain when moisture and temperature conditions are favourable for fungal growth. Unlike deoxynivalenol (DON), which develops in the field as a result of Fusarium infection, OTA develops during storage. Grain stored above safe moisture levels, condensation or water entering the bin, contaminated dust or soil, and residues from previously stored grain can all contribute to OTA development. Even a small pocket of damp grain can create problems. That means managing the entire grain mass, not just relying on an average moisture reading. Make Storage Manage

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