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Manitoba Farmers With Disabilities Wants You To Be Safe This Harvest

With the late harvest and now wet conditions, farmers are trying to maximize every hour that they can get out onto the field. This can often put safety out of mind.

Dawn Minne, chairperson of Manitoba Farmers With Disabilities (MFWD), reminds farmers to slow and check their surroundings.

"One of the biggest things is just to take that extra second to double check everything," she said. "It only takes a split second for an incident to happen and it changes your life forever."

Minne explains that a daily plan is important in helping to let others know where you'll be at all times.

"Have a plan and let other people know what your plan is for that day and where you're going and what you want to get accomplished," she said. "Communication is very vital so that people know where you are, what you're doing."

Dawn's husband Ron was involved in a farm accident in 1991, in which he injured his shoulder and neck. The one thing they could have done differently, says Dawn, was take the keys out of the tractor and put them in a pocket. Ron was busy unplugging the pickup of pull-type combine when the pickup moved causing serious injury. He underwent many surgeries to repair the damage and is still dealing with the effects today.

Ron is now a director with MFWD and speaks to others about taking that extra second to think about safety.

"Your life can change so fast," said Dawn. "Then you're facing different problems and situations with how then do you get your crop off when you're injured yourself."

Source: SteinbachOnline


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The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.