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Irrigation

fertilizer spreading in the field
Columns, Crops

How to develop nitrogen fertilizer recommendations

Each field and crop deserves thought and attention

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In last December’s Grainews, I discussed interpretation of soil test reports. In this column, I will discuss developing nitrogen (N) recommendations. In the next several columns, I will discuss developing fertilizer recommendations for phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S) and other nutrients. Western Canadian farmers spend more money on nitrogen fertilizer than all other nutrients […] Read more
To make a soil moisture map, one must understand soil moisture.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Soil moisture maps. How it all happened

The adventure began more than 40 years ago

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The feature “Catalogue houses: Eaton’s and others and how it all happened” in the November 2021 issue of Grainews, gave a blow-by-blow account of how my book on the topic came about. The response has been tremendous, and many thanks to readers. Your letters, emails and book orders are very much appreciated. In this piece, […] Read more
Canadian Drought Monitor map of drought conditions and intensity in Canada at Nov. 30, 2021. (AAFC)
Crops, Weather

Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies

Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements

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MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] Read more
Some of the NextGen Drainage Solutions equipment installing drainage pipe. Owen Orsak says after installing tile drainage on a 260-acre field, he can now seed and harvest 260 acres.
Crops, Features

A dry year is a good time to talk drainage

Tile drainage systems need to be properly planned, but farmers say they are well worth the effort

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Western Canadian farmers like their tile drainage projects. They are not particularly cheap improvements. Costs vary widely depending on size and complexity of the project but, on average, figure on about $1,000 per acre to get pipe in the ground. But the benefits, according to this October’s farmer panel members, are many: A tile drainage […] Read more
Colten Bamford in a stringer tractor laying tile during a project on a farm near Pilot Mound, Man., in September 2020.
Crops, Features

The value and benefits of tile drainage

Here’s how this practice can make your farm more profitable

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Installing drainage tile on farmland comes with a hefty price tag, costing anywhere from $900 an acre up to $1,400 an acre or more by some estimates. Like for any large capital expense, producers need to weigh the decision carefully before moving ahead with this kind of project. Ultimately it comes down to dollars and […] Read more
Lynne Schoenau beside a front-end loader depositing a bucket full of topsoil taken from a slough onto a Rebuilding Productivity in Eroded Knolls research plot in May 2020.
Crops, Features

Move soil to where it’s needed most

Landscape restoration can restore productivity on eroded knolls and hilltops

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You could say it’s an old idea that’s new again. The idea is taking topsoil from where it has accumulated in low areas and putting it on badly eroded knolls or hilltops to increase the productivity of a field. University of Manitoba soil scientist David Lobb maintains that’s something farmers in hilly regions of China […] Read more
Les Henry: Droughts I have known
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Droughts I have known

What comes next?

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The 2021 crop year for the Prairie provinces will go down in history as hot and dry with a huge impact on crops, hayland and pasture. The lack of feed for livestock is most serious, as it will require forced sale of cattle with long-lasting effects on farms and ranches. Many would lead you to […] Read more
Farmers plant saplings in a rice field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India on July 5, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Amit Dave)
Crops, Reuters, Weather

India unveils new rice variety to reduce water use, labour

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New Delhi | Reuters — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched an array of new high-yielding crop varieties, including herbicide-tolerant rice that can be directly sown into the soil, cutting expenditure on water and farm workers. In India, the world’s biggest rice exporter, the conventional method of rice cultivation requires farmers to sow […] Read more
A hawk on a fence post in Saskatchewan’s Qu’Appelle Valley. (Bobloblaw/iStock/Getty Images)
Crops, Machinery

Indigenous-led ag projects get federal funding

Funding to support business planning and other studies

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Sixteen projects to help support Indigenous-led food system initiatives will receive $4 million from the federal government. “Our government is working to create a more inclusive agriculture sector that respects the values of Indigenous Peoples,” Agriculture Minister Marie Claude Bibeau said in a statement Friday. “These investments are intended to ensure that Indigenous Peoples have […] Read more
(MyLand.ag)
Crops, Machinery

AGI to buy into soil microbe breeding firm

Machinery maker to take minority stake in MyLand

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A U.S. company ramping up a system to harvest, reproduce and restore beneficial microbes from a field’s own soils, as a way to restore peak fertility, expects to get backing soon from a Canadian farm equipment maker. Winnipeg-based Ag Growth International (AGI) said Monday it has signed a conditional letter of intent with Phoenix-based MyLand […] Read more

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