April 2010 Archives

There's nothing worse than devoting time, energy and money to something only to have it ruined by a completely preventable occurrence. In this case, I'm talking about crops heating in the bin and diseased seed ending up in the ground without a seed treatment.

Sure, turning, aerating or drying grain also takes some time, energy and money, but after all the work you put in to growing the darn crop, it'd be a shame to lose a portion of it in storage.

All crops can spoil, even ones that went in dry, and fall isn't the only time to watch for heating either. The Canola Council recently put out the call to farmers to get back out there and check their bins; a very warm April is causing heating problems, even in canola that went into the winter dry. Bins with higher than ideal moisture, very large bins or bins with high dockage are at even higher risk.

Do yourself a favour and make the rounds today. If you've got fans, you might just need to turn them on for a spell. Breaking up any hot spots or compacted areas can also be done by removing about a third of the grain then replacing it up top. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

And while we're on the topic of investment protection, let's talk about seed treating. I know it's pretty common practice, and that's good, but unless you test or treat 100% of seed lots (does anyone?), there's a risk of seedling disease. For a very graphic display of the difference a seed treatment can make, check out this seven-day time lapse video on Bayer CropScience's website.

The reduced germination, vigour and survival rates of diseased, untreated seed is significant. If you're going to spend all that time, energy and money putting a crop in the ground, a seed treatment is simply affordable insurance.

In the hustle and bustle of the growing season, it's easy to rush from job to job. When you rush, you leave yourself open to mistakes, ones that could be potentially deadly when they involve contact with power lines.

SaskPower recently launched a new farm safety video focused on the overhead danger of power lines. It's a simple, five minute YouTube video that's well worth the time. Find it here.

The video not only explains what to do if a tractor, auger or other equipment comes in contact with lines, but also provides some handy tips on avoiding the accident all together.

Some key points:

• Many hands make light work, yes, but having new people around the farm to help can also lead to dangerous situations because these helpers may not be familiar with where power lines are. It's important that the person moving equipment knows the safest route between points A and B.
• Large pieces of equipment, such as seeders, high clearance sprayers and augers, are most often involved in these types of accidents. Take extra care with these items, and always lower tall items before transport if possible.
• Never trim trees around lines or attempt to remove tree branches from lines.
• If you see downed lines, call 9-1-1 or your energy company immediately. Don't attempt  to touch or move the lines.
• Electricity can jump as far as 50 feet. Keep bins, buildings and even hay stacks well clear of lines.

Stay safe out there. As the folks at SaskPower say, remember the most important part of the family farm is the family.

Clean, fresh water is just as important for livestock as it is for us. But water without proper in and out flow gets stagnant, warm and undrinkable in a hurry. Sloughs and dugouts are prone to algae blooms and water weeds that quickly choke out the water source, leaving ranchers with little choice but to find alternate watering sources.

Stan Harder, a regular contributor to Grainews and a former angus breeder from St. Brides, Alta., recently zipped me an email about the once-unknown danger of bluestone (copper sulphate) to control algae blooms and weeds in sloughs and dugouts. The product is the perfect farm fix-it: cheap, effective, available and easy to use. The problem? Copper sulphate is far from innocuous and can lead to mild to severe instances of eyes, nose and throat irritations and even kidney and liver damage. Handling precautions (gloves, goggles and a respirator) should have been donned or the product not used at all, he says in hindsight.

In the absence of bluestone, what other options are there? Stan has heard of submerging barley straw for weed and algae control, but is unsure of its success. There are algaecides on the market but according to the label they are not approved to control water weeds.

How do you control algae and weeds in dugouts and sloughs? Do you have first-hand experience with submerging barley (or other) straw for control? I'd like to hear from you. I'd like to do a feature on this in an upcoming issue of Grainews, if we can find some handy on-farm solutions that our readers are so famous for.

Help?

I wish I could take credit for bringing you this update, but that would be plagiarism. If you've been reading Grainews recently, you'll know that Scott Garvey has taken on the machinery side of the publication. The following update is his and is just a taste of the kind of things he'll be posting on his own blog once it's up and running. In the meantime, enjoy.

 

March was a busy month for the people responsible for writing press releases at AGCO’s corporate headquarters in Duluth, Georgia. But one of the most interesting announcements to be put on paper was the company’s introduction of two new MFWD tractors.

The pair will be added to both brands AGCO intends to focus on in the North American market: Massey Ferguson and Challenger. The MF models will be numbered 7497 and 7499; the Challengers will wear MT585B and MT595B designations. These two new models deliver 165 and 180 PTO horsepower and extend the upper limit of the 7400 and MT500B tractor lines.

Even though they will appear in two different brands, they offer identical features, only the brand name, paint colour and some styling cues will be different. This sets them apart from the lower-horsepower machines in their respective model lines, because the smaller tractors have a variety of brand-specific features.

For example, the six smaller tractors in Challenger’s MT500B group use a 6.6-litre Cat engine with ACERT technology, while the smaller MFs in the 7400 series use a 6.6 Perkins or 6.6-litre 66CTA SISU. But the two new range-topping models will use AGCO’s own 7.4-litre, 74CTA SISU engine, which is a turboed six cylinder.

Following on the announcement a few months ago that the company will narrow its focus to two core product lines, this standardization of design between tractors in the two brands isn’t surprising.

Power from the engine will go out through a CV (continuously variable) transmission offered as standard equipment. Massey calls it a Dyna-VT, while Challenger has been calling theirs the TechStar. It is capable of a top speed of 40 kph, but an optional 50 kph version is also available.

"With the addition of these tractors, both Massey Ferguson and Challenger now offer customers a full line of CVT-equipped tractors from 165 to 275 PTO horsepower,” says Jason Hoult, AGCO’s product marketing manager for high-horsepower tractors. “Our goal was to build dependable and powerful, yet versatile and comfortable tractors, and I think we accomplished that goal."

The details

One of the notable features included on these new models is the active stop, which stops forward and reverse travel by simply raising the shuttle lever. The tractor will stay in place, even on a slope, until the shuttle lever is lowered back into position. And AGCO claims the CVT used in these tractors has the fewest moving parts of any stepless or powershift transmission in the industry.

The transmission design also includes a separate oil reservoir to prevent any contamination from trans-hydraulic fluid flowing back from an implement. Hydraulic power comes from a closed-centre system with a standard 29 gallon per minute (GPM), 110 litre pre minute (LPM) flow rate with an optional150 LPM (39 GPM) available. Three SCVs are standard with an optional fourth.

These models come equipped with the company’s Dynamic Tractor Management system, which allows the SISU engine and CVT transmission to work together for maximum performance and efficiency. The system automatically analyzes the load demand placed on the tractor and provides the right power setting to meet changing conditions, which also minimizes fuel consumption.

Both front and rear axles have standard electro-hydraulic differential lock for improved traction. The category III, three-point hitch has standard lower-link draft sensing.

The cabs on these tractors have been upgraded from what the other models in their respective lines offer, which provides a level of operator comfort in line with that found on larger models. Basically, they import the same interior cab design used in MF’s 8600 and Challenger’s MT600B-series. One optional feature available is pneumatic cab air suspension. It’s similar to what some highway trucks use and offers adjustable ride settings.

"Many of the features farmers have come to love and expect from their tractors are standard on these new models, particularly in the area of comfort," says Hoult. "Everything in the tractors' cabs has been positioned to provide the operator with superior comfort, control and ease of use."

This is my first full spring in Saskatchewan. I'd like to think it'll always be this gorgeous, but my Winnipeg roots won't ever let me believe spring is truly here until the May long weekend. And yes, I was once camping on said weekend and was snowed on. Such is spring on the Prairies.

Still, I made the bold move of changing the winter tires today. Am I truly an April fool? Time will tell.

For me, swapping the tires and deciding when to switch from rubber boots (or gum boots as my two-year old calls them) to just boots are really the toughest spring decisions I have to make.

For you, it's when to really, truly fire up the tractor and start putting seed in the ground. A much more weighty decision that's for sure. How early is too early? What if it really stays this dry? What about snow or, worse, frost? What if I stick with my regular time line and regret it?

If you're looking for answers, I don't have them, but I'd love to know: Are you planning on seeding significantly earlier this year? What will be the deciding factors for you? (soil temp? the calendar? your neighbour?)