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Soil health

Figure 5. A crop of Herta, an old two-row barley variety, in northeastern Saskatchewan’s Carrot River valley, with potassium added at left.
Columns

Potash fertilizer: Time for another look

Expect consequences if we keep hauling away more K than we apply

By
When the three Prairie provinces established provincial soil test laboratories in the 1960s, that was the start of a real advance in learning about potassium (K) as an essential plant nutrient. Until then it was not much of an issue, as many experiments showed no field crop response. With many thousands of farm field soil […] Read more
A recent study conducted by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada on the use of weed seed control technology at harvest was the first such project to be conducted in Canada.
Features

Weed-fighting tool gets a closer look

A recent AAFC study looked at the effectiveness of harvest weed seed control technology

By
Mechanical weed seed control at harvest has been around for a while in Australia, but it’s a relatively new technology in Canada and adoption rates remain comparatively low. A recent study conducted in Western Canada looked at the efficacy of that technology and the role it could play in alternative weed control strategies as concerns […] Read more
A “little potato” crop at six to nine tons an acre in central Alberta does not need the same extra moisture as seed potatoes and can be planted directly into standing canola stubble in the spring.
Columns, Crops

‘Sustainable’ ag systems for Prairie croplands need clearer definition

By
The word “sustainable” has become one of the most misused words in agricultural information systems. What we have to realize on Canada’s Prairies is that “sustainable” really means farmers maintain the status quo for good, achievable, economic agricultural practices on their cropland. What may be sustainable agricultural systems for Eastern Canada or the north-central United […] Read more
One of the potential downsides to leaving crop residue on a field is that it can make planting more challenging the following spring.
Features

Crop residues’ rewards versus risks

Leaving crop residue after harvest can be beneficial — but poses some challenges

By
John Berger marked the completion of his 57th harvest on his family farm near Nanton in southern Alberta this fall. By most accounts, it was another productive year on Berger’s 5,000-acre grain farm. Still, something didn’t sit quite right with the long-time farmer. Whenever he toured the nearby countryside post-harvest, he noted many farm fields […] Read more
brussels sprouts
Columns, Fruit/Vegetables

Vegetable crop production on the Prairies

Part 2 of a series on Prairie farm gardens

By
At the countless farm sites I have visited over almost 50 years from coast to coast in Canada, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, I have come across outstanding crop growing innovations and excellent crops as well as abject crop failures. To deal logically with the extensive range of crops, I put them, as described previously, […] Read more
the equalizer no-till drill
Equipment, Machinery

Lemken brings Equalizer drill to Canada

A South African design begins field trials on this continent

By
Over the past two decades, Canadian producers have seen several foreign brands stake a claim in North America’s ag equipment market. As a result, there is now a broader group of implement manufacturers competing in our marketplace. That means more choices, which is good news for farmers. Among the newest unfamiliar names to appear on […] Read more
Here we see a cover crop grazing blend at the Ag in Motion farm show near Langham, Sask., in 2023.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Forages

Grazing cover crops shows soil health dividends

Livestock producers see the benefits but say they could really use more information

By
Glacier FarmMedia — If you’ve wondered whether livestock producers are taking a different approach to cover crops than those growing them for the grain — and are seeing distinct benefits in doing so — the surveys so far say yes. Callum Morrison, a crop production extension specialist for Manitoba Agriculture at Carman and a master’s […] Read more
les henry's soil moisture map 2023
Columns, Crops

A new year, a new soil moisture map

Let's take a Prairie-wide view of soil moisture at freeze-up in 2023

By
To make a soil moisture map, you need to understand the soil moisture constants: saturation, field capacity, wilting point and plant-available water. Saturation (Sat) is when all soil pores are filled with water — in other words, the water table. Until recently we did not consider the water table to be high enough to provide […] Read more
A chickpea and flax intercrop mix on Colin Rosengren’s farm at Midale, Sask.
Columns, Crops

Cover crops: enough already

The benefits are often 'blown up' while the challenges are understated

By
Cover crops is a topic with a lot of ink spilled in many farm publications in recent years. Some scribblers seem to imply that a farmer is a laggard and an environmental hazard if she/he is not using cover crops on a regular basis. Cover crops actually include a wide variety of cropping sequences, and […] Read more
John Hardman says buffer strips allow him to turn heavy equipment around without compacting the soil where crops are growing.
Features

Are buffer strips right for your farm?

A Manitoba farmer discusses how his farm benefits from the practice

By
John Hardman learned much of what he knows about farming from his father. Now Hardman owns Crooked Creek Farms near Dauphin, Man., which he has run for the past 40 years. He succeeded his father, Edwin, who farmed the same land for nearly half a century. One of the most enduring lessons Hardman learned from […] Read more

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