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Irrigation

In August 2021, the Classen family used the water in their reservoir to backflood the tile drainage system to save some of their soybean crop, which was wilting and under extreme stress. They saw big results within 24 hours.
Crops

Take a ‘deliberate’ approach to water management

Backflood irrigation combined with tile drainage supported some of Joel Classen’s soybean yields through one of the driest summers on record

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To prepare for future drought, Prairie farmers could consider using large ponds with controlled drainage structures and tile drainage for a “much more deliberate water management approach,” says David Lobb, a professor of soil science at the University of Manitoba.  “It’s possible to hold water back and use it when we need it in a […] Read more
Olds College president Stuart Cullum announces a new partnership with Saskatchewan Polytechnic. (Liam O’Connor photo)
Crops, Machinery

Partnership gives Prairie ag students new 800-acre opportunity

Saskatchewan farmland bequest expanded Smart Farm eastward

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Students from Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Olds College will be getting more opportunities to collaborate with each other on a large scale. The two institutions have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) which entails both schools working together for five years on various programs, notably Olds College’s Smart Farm operation. The partnership comes as a result […] Read more
File photo of barrels on display in a Nova Scotia vineyard. (Tashka/iStock/Getty Images)
General

Wastewater regulation eased for Nova Scotia on-farm processing

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Nova Scotia has introduced regulatory changes that allow on-farm processing operations to better manage wastewater on their smaller scale. The changes, which took effect May 11, come at the request of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture (NSFA) — which has said that owners of small farm-level processing facilities shouldn’t be treated the same as […] Read more
AAFC’s Drought Monitor map at April 30, 2022. (Agriculture.canada.ca)
General, Weather

Drought gone in Manitoba but worsening in Alberta, AAFC reports

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MarketsFarm — Record-breaking precipitation in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan helped improve moisture conditions in the region in April, taking much of the area out of the drought classification, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the period ended April 30. Two separate Colorado lows brought significant snow, […] Read more
Kees Van Beek, SDI director at Southern Irrigation, examines some winter wheat plants grown with subsurface drip irrigation at Lawrence Vandervalk’s farm in Nobleford, Alta., in 2021.
Crops, Features

A new way to water crops

Some Prairie farmers are opting for subsurface drip irrigation to boost crop production and increase water use efficiency

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They’re a rarity in Western Canada right now, but that didn’t stop Lawrence Vandervalk from installing a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system on his farm in Alberta. “Technology doesn’t stand still. Technology keeps moving forward. This is just another step in the progression of irrigation, and I think it’s a big step,” says Vandervalk, who […] Read more
It is much easier for optimum silage cutting to have fields level and rocks pushed into the ground thanks to rolling the field. But what is the best timing for field rolling? Ongoing research by Farming Smarter to examine proper timing of field rolling is showing rolling fields once the crop gets to the fourth-leaf and first-node stages can reduce both yield and quality of barley.
Crops, Features

Roll, roll, roll your fields

The next line might not be gently down the stream, but more along the lines of sooner rather than later

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If you are a barley grower who likes to roll fields to make them level before harvest, don’t do it the day before your agronomist arrives to do field scouting. It makes it difficult for them to find the weeds. That may be one important reason to roll fields earlier in the spring as opposed […] Read more
AAFC’s Drought Monitor map for the period ending March 31, 2022. (Agriculture.canada.ca)
Crops, Weather

Drought severity easing across much of Prairies, AAFC reports

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MarketsFarm — Drought conditions persisted across much of the Prairies during the month of March, although the extent and severity of the dryness was reduced in many areas, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). “While there have been substantial improvements to drought conditions across Western Canada since last […] Read more
Hunter Goliath turnips can be an excellent forage cover crop, although as the White Lake Colony learned one concern with turnips, especially if there is a high percentage in the forage mix is that the high protein crop “runs through the cattle too fast; the cows get very loose manure”.
Cattleman’s Corner, Crops

Experimenting with irrigated cover crops

Program helps to extend the grazing season while also helping to benefit the soil

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The White Lake Hutterite Colony near Nobleford, about half an hour northwest of Lethbridge, Alberta produces both beef cattle along with annual crops, and in recent years they’ve started looking at growing cover crops under irrigation. Cattle manager Jerry Hofer has been trying several different species to be seeded after taking off soft white wheat […] Read more
The Bell Farm. Oil on canvas painted in 1985 by Fran Henry (1942-1988).
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Big farms are not a new idea

There have been winners and losers over the years

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There has been much ink spilled this winter talking about big farms and the problem of too few medium-sized farms to pick up the equipment trade-ins from big farms. Part of the problem is the electronic bells and whistles that dust out when the mechanical parts have much useful service left. Bells start ringing and […] Read more

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