A variety of organizations have developed programs that allow producers to learn more about taking care of their soil.
Soil health
Peer groups are a pathway to improved soil health
A variety of organizations have developed programs that allow producers to learn more about taking care of their soil
Soil organic matter and carbon sequestration
Changes in cropping practices over time have significantly improved soil quality
Prairie farmers have done an excellent job shifting to direct seeding, continuous cropping, using much more diverse crop rotations and fertilizing crops adequately, along with various other good agronomy practices. This has very positively improved soil organic matter levels and improved soil health across all the soil zones of the Prairies.
Selenium: Agricultural, environmental and human concerns
Agronomy Management: From a water quality standpoint, health of rivers and lakes should be of highest priority
As selenium accumulates in soil over years, more Se will be taken up by plants, making crops less suitable or unsuitable for human or livestock consumption.
Maximize your nitrogen efficiency with the right practices
Strategic application can reduce N losses and boost productivity
Speaking at Ag Days, Bryce Geisel digs down into nitrogen loss pathways and how applying the right practices can keep your N fertilizer where it belongs.
Adding wood ash to soil both practical and cost-effective
Practical Research: Too often headed for the landfill, ash can reduce soils’ acidity and enhance cropland fertility
Here’s a perfectly good organic source of lime, with plant macro- and micronutrients, being taken from the woodlands and virtually thrown away. Wood ash is an excellent source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphate and micronutrients, which can very effectively raise up acid soil pH levels.
Tiny allies may help canola push through drought
Federal researchers examine soil microbes to see if they can help a crop withstand dry times
Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon are studying the microbes that live near the roots of canola plants to see if the answers to developing drought tolerance can be found in the soil.
Don’t join the clubroot club this year
Avoiding serious canola yield loss to clubroot will take a multi-pronged strategy
After a string of dry years, the wetter conditions in 2024 saw clubroot hit Alberta hard. Genetic advances in resistant varieties have certainly helped — but clearly the disease isn’t going away. At the CropConnect Conference last month in Winnipeg, Dr. Stephen Strelkov, a University of Alberta professor of plant pathology, provided an update on […] Read more
Liming and soil acidity
A limed acre will maintain a pH increase lasting 10-15 years, maybe more
A limed acre of Prairie soil will maintain a pH increase lasting 10-15 years — maybe more.
Understanding soil phosphorus, Part 2: Soil testing for plant-available P
Agronomy Management: The proper test for your soil and region can help answer questions your plants’ roots will ask this season
In my previous Grainews article, I discussed soil phosphorus (P) cycling in soil, effects of crop rotations and fertilizing on soil P, and how crops take up soil P. In this article I’ll discuss soil tests used to estimate plant-available P. Next issue, we’ll discuss how to develop wise phosphate fertilizer recommendations for your farm. […] Read more
Restore productivity on your eroded knolls
Landscape restoration, cover cropping, residue redistribution and adjusting crop inputs are some management practices that can help
The eroded knolls or hilltops common in Prairie farmland are typically the least productive, often yielding considerably less than other parts of a field. Curtis Cavers, an agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based at Portage la Prairie, Man., says there are ways to boost crop productivity in these problem areas. Cavers provided an assessment […] Read more
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