Some Simple Truths about Life in the Country and On the Farm

Jan 11, 2023

By Dr. Andrew Griffith

Here are some simple truths about life in the country and on the farm.

The fact that the neighbors bull comes to visit on a regular basis does not mean your cows are prettier than his or that your grass is better than his. It probably means your bull does not know what he is doing, or he is just not doing it well!
A field full of broom sedge does not qualify as a good stand of grass, but there may be some city folk that would like to take their picture in the field of golden grass this winter when it snows.
A well-conditioned or fat cow is not always a good thing. If she is still four times the size of her calf at weaning then she qualifies as a delinquent mother, because she is better at taking care of herself than she is of her offspring.
Not all bales of hay are better than a snowball, but all snowballs have a moisture value.
Just because a person owns land, drives a tractor, has cattle and feeds hay does not mean they are a cattle producer. It simply means they own all those things. Being a cattle producer requires a little more effort.

Video: predictive weed Management saves on herbicide costs and increases yield potential

Gowan Canada is partnering with Geco Strategic Weed Management to help Canadian growers take a strategic approach to weed control through data-driven prediction and planning.

Geco’s technology uses data and AI to map where weeds have been over the past five years and predict where patches are likely to emerge next season. These insights allow farms and retailers to plan ahead and target actions in the most challenging areas.

“Our technology enables the question: if you could know where your most problematic patches are and where they are spreading to, what could you do differently? That’s what our technology makes possible,” said Greg Stewart, CEO of Geco. “Many of our farms are already using our prescriptions along with Gowan products, so this collaboration is a natural next step.”