Farmers eye drones - and so do animal rightists Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Are they a farming tool of the future? Or eye-in-the-sky spies? Depends on who's at the remote control. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports that the Australian Lot Feeders Association wants tougher laws that stop animal rights groups from using aerial drones to spy on farm activities. Last year, the animal rights group Animal Liberation used a drone to film free-range egg farms in New South Wales, and then gave the footage to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate whether the farms were actually free-range. Currently, using drones to spy on farming activities is legal in most countries. Bruce Baer Arnold, assistant professor at the University of Canberra School of Law, predicts in The Conversation that "facility operators taking the law into their own hands, shooting pesky drones . . . we can expect to see some claims in court before too long." PETA's blog post "Game of Drones" reveals a plan to purchase a drone to monitor factory farms. This is about to get very interesting. But what if it's a farmer doing the spying? The Associated Press reports that experts see agriculture as the most promising commercial market for drones. Drones can be used to monitor disease, apply precision sprays of fertilizers and pesticides, even scare away birds and other pests. Idaho farmer Robert Blair, who built his own drone to monitor his 1,500-acre farm, tells the AP "we're talking surgical agriculture, which allows us to be more environmentally friendly." BF Academic advocates user fees for agricultural antibiotics Pollution wrecks Chinese farmland
$18.4M Boost for Canadian Cereal Grain Innovation Thursday, September 19, 2024 Gate Project Receives Major Funding for Research Canada's position as a pioneer in cereal grain research is set to strengthen with the Gate Capital Campaign raising $18.4 million. This funding will support the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) initiative, a project... Read this article online
BASF introduces Surtain herbicide for field corn growers Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Field corn growers in eastern Canada have a new crop protection product available to them. After about 10 years of research and trials, BASF has introduced Surtain, a residual herbicide for corn that combines PPO inhibitor saflufenacil (Group 14) and pyroxasulfone (Group 15) in a premix... Read this article online
We Didn’t Start the Fire! Impacts of Wildfire Smoke on Corn Monday, September 16, 2024 Assistant Professor of Corn Production at Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, Daniel Quinn, PhD. recently provided fascinating insights into the impacts of fire on major corn producing areas, many of which have been impacted by smoke from wildfires. Quinn was the keynote... Read this article online
New home for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario Saturday, September 14, 2024 The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) has announced it has moved into its new office building in Ingersoll. Located at 274620 27th Line in Ingersoll, the new office will serve as the hub for CFFO’s ongoing efforts to advocate for and support Ontario’s Christian farmers.... Read this article online
Canadian Ag Youth Council Welcomes new Members Saturday, September 14, 2024 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced the latest members to join the Canadian Agricultural Youth Council (CAYC). This update introduces nine fresh members alongside thirteen returning youths, marking a significant step towards involving young voices in agricultural... Read this article online