Father daughter farming

Trailblazing

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Women farmers reveal how they have succeeded in agriculture, and how other women can too

By Brenda Schoepp, Country Guide

Country Guide asked for more on how we define a culture that is inclusive, equal and conducive for a successful female heir or independent business person from within a family unit.

In this first part of a three-part series, I went across Canada and asked trailblazers — highly successful women in farming, agriculture and agri-business — about their journeys starting from the time they were girls.

They pursued their dreams despite having very diverse back stories. Still, we need to recognize that the on-farm cultures they grew up in were extraordinarily different, and those differences helped determine the pathways they chose to get to where they are today. Read more

winter wheat bare ground

Managing bare areas in winter wheat stands

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By Joanna Folings, Cereal Specialist

How should one deal with large bare spots in a wheat field that is otherwise in good condition?  Unfortunately, there isn’t a one size fits all solution because the size and number of bare spots in fields greatly varies. Here are some options and considerations for filling in those bare spots.

Leave the bare spots alone

While doing nothing with the bare spots may seem like the easiest option, it may create headaches later on.  The biggest implication is weeds.  If you decide to leave the bare spots alone, at minimum you should consider a herbicide application to those areas to keep weeds under control.  Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane can produce up to one million seeds per plant, so even one Read more

Perform a walk-around safety check of your vehicle before operating

Safety: Circle checks

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How often do you walk around your vehicle before moving it?

At Thompsons, a circle check is mandatory before putting a vehicle into service, at the beginning of the day and any time before backing up if it has been parked and this is the first motion a driver is making. Read more

tripping hazard

Safety: Unsafe conditions

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Recognize unsafe conditions and take action to eliminate and mitigate them.

It is possible to eliminate the majority of unsafe conditions in our workplaces and on our farms in order to prevent injuries on the job. It is necessary to recognize these kinds of conditions exist around you, and take action to eliminate or mitigate them. There is an endless list of possible unsafe conditions in any workplace. Two types of unsafe conditions that can be found in almost any workplace are slip, trip, and fall hazards and pinch point hazards.

  • Slips, trips, and falls are responsible for many injuries on the job year after year. Many of these incidents are a direct result of an unsafe condition.
  • Objects on the ground are a common example.
  • Other unsafe conditions that lead to slips, trips, and falls injuries include slippery floors, unmarked changes in elevations in walking surfaces, cluttered work areas, unprotected edges, etc.

Read more