Until recently, most of the seeds used in Québec were coated with an insecticide. But the trend is reversing, and an integrated approach is now used that includes scouting and probability models for infestation and crop damage. This means more intelligence and less chemicals, benefiting both farmers and the environment.

The AgConnexion digital platform is an essential tool that helps farmers analyze the data collected in a given growing season. With this analysis, farmers can better plan for their next season and make the right decisions at the right time.

First, it is important to take the time to transfer your data from your GPS data sensor to the AgConnexion | SmartFarm module so that you can conduct the analysis.

In our continued efforts to develop our technological capabilities to support farmers, our digital platform AgConnexion is launching the AgConnexion | Grain Portal.

Designed to facilitate grain merchandising, this new tool is being rolled out gradually at various cooperatives in Québec.

Analyzing soil in the field with a smart probe may not be such a distant dream after all. For some time now, staff at the Sollio Agriculture crop production research farm in Saint-Hyacinthe have been testing a probe from ChrysaLabs that could be used to adjust farming practices quickly and improve crop fertilization.

For the past two years, members of the research farm’s team have been lugging ChrysaLabs’ futuristic-looking, smart soil-analysis probe around their plots.

Farm businesses have many avenues to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including soil management, farming and breeding practices, and the recycling of manure and organic waste. Sollio Agriculture is currently investigating how farmers can benefit by earning carbon credits for adopting these practices.

The new AgConnexion | Grain Portal Toolbox gives farmers quick access to market trends and prices.

In the Grain Information Toolbox, you’ll find the "Market zone and prices that are associated with the farm" and "Flash Marché". These two tools help grain farmers make decisions and facilitate contact with Sollio & Grains Québec’s regional grain merchants.

Although little known and underestimated, fertilizing residual materials (FRMs) are a cost-saving solution for farmers.

“There’s an FRM for every need, from fertilizing to adding organic matter and correcting pH,” says Simon Naylor, Vice-President and Co-Founder of Viridis environnement. Viridis has a 70% share of the FRM recovery market and delivers 600,000 tonnes of organic matter to 700 farm businesses each year.

Ten years after they were first introduced on a large scale in onion fields in Montérégie, sterilized pink onion flies have successfully replaced a controversial insecticide, while generating a dramatic reduction in the natural populations of onion maggots (Delia antiqua), the main onion pest in Canada.

The sterile insect technique (SIT) works in a surprisingly simple and ingenious way. It essentially uses one pest to combat another. To do so, onion flies that are factory reared and sterilized through irradiation ahead of time are released into fields.

The AgConnexion digital agriculture platform is constantly evolving. Several new features are now available to make farmers and retailers even more efficient in farm management.
 

Connect directly to laboratories

No more downloading and emailing analyses. AgConnexion now submits soil, water and hay analyses automatically. This works with A&L Canada, EnvironeX and AgroEnviroLab.

Sollio Agriculture’s digital team is always on the lookout for agricultural innovations that will really make farm work easier. The connected silo technology available on AgConnexion is a good example.

The technology is very simple: It collects real-time data from silos and sends it to AgConnexion. This lets farmers know how much grain they have, making the procurement process easier.