Soil health Archives - Page 7 of 24

Editor’s Rant: Thanks, Les

By Dave Bedard July 9, 2024

We begin with sad news for readers who haven’t already heard: Les Henry, a soil scientist and university professor dedicated to the improvement of Prairie farmland, and a mainstay in these pages for almost 50 years, left us on June 14 at age 83, ending a long fight with congestive heart failure. We can defer […] Read more

Crops, Features, Weather

Moving from dry to wet

Improved moisture conditions can mean different strategies

By Don Norman July 3, 2024

Farmers in Western Canada can breathe easy. Rains across most of the Prairies this spring have gone a long way toward recharging groundwater levels and lowering the risk of drought across the region. “We had an extremely warm winter with lower-than-normal precipitation in most areas,” says Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. […] Read more

Here we see a drone’s-eye view of an abandoned Canadian peat moss farm in dry summer conditions.

Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Peatland farming, the Prairies’ best-kept secret

Practical Research: Improving these lands' copper fertility could potentially pay significant dividends

By Ieuan Evans June 19, 2024

In 1981, I heard a discussion on micronutrients in crop production by the late Jerry Stoller. He talked about the need to pay attention to the micronutrient needs of crops, because just like macronutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur — they can be depleted over time on even the best cropland. Stoller also said […] Read more

A canola crop in the RM of Fletts Springs, just northwest of the RM of Pleasantdale, in 2019.

Canola, Columns, Crops

Where the canola was: a history of Saskatchewan yields by soil climatic zone

Whether by nature, nurture or both, yields jumped in several zones around the turn of this century

By Les Henry June 16, 2024

Editor’s Note: Les Henry, the esteemed Prairie soil scientist and our longtime soils columnist, left us on June 14 at age 83. Up until the day before his passing, Les was working on and revising this column for the next (July 11) edition of Grainews. We’ll still have this on paper for you in a […] Read more

Keeping reference materials current for the farming community could help ward off weeds and pests before they become endemic.

Columns, Crops, Practical Tips

Recognize the value of books, fact sheets, texts

Practical Research: Don’t assume that your phone will have all the answers at hand

By Ieuan Evans June 15, 2024

During my long tenure with Alberta Agriculture we, as a crop protection unit, produced many farmer information presentations, fact sheets, books, booklets, broadcasts and seminars. From 2000 onward, Alberta Agriculture severely cut down on this and other farm information units. The books and fact sheets are fully relevant today but they need upgrading and maintenance, […] Read more

Crops, News

Soil scientist and Grainews columnist Les Henry, 1940-2024

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

By Dave Bedard June 15, 2024

Saskatchewan soil scientist Les Henry, well known for his work on improving Prairie farmland and his outreach to Prairie farmers in the pages of Grainews, has died. Ending a long fight with congestive heart failure, Henry died Friday in Saskatoon at age 83, having continued to write until very shortly before his passing. Born in […] Read more

Crops, Features, Weather

Prairie soils’ organic carbon climbing

Data from StatCan and AAFC highlight positive changes made in agriculture since the 1980s

By Robert Arnason June 13, 2024

Glacier FarmMedia — For much of the last five years, the federal government has been setting targets for Canadian farmers to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer and methane emissions from cattle. The government has provided funding to help producers cut methane and nitrous oxide emissions from primary agriculture, while constantly beating the drumbeat of […] Read more

The Leon's Manufacturing building at Yorkton, Sask.

Equipment, Machinery

Leon’s Manufacturing in receivership

The Yorkton, Sask. dozer blade and loader bucket maker had been plagued by complaints over delivery delays

By Alexis Stockford June 12, 2024

Glacier FarmMedia — Farmers waiting for equipment purchased from Leon’s Manufacturing are dealing with new uncertainty now that the Yorkton, Sask. company has been placed in receivership. Ernst and Young has been named the appointed receiver for the case, according to a court order dated June 11. The document names both Leon’s Manufacturing and Ram […] Read more

Crops

The legacy of Henry’s Handbook

A book well known to Grainews readers will remain available

By Croptimistic Technology Release June 7, 2024

Les Henry is a former professor and extension specialist for the University of Saskatchewan, a farmer, and a regular contributor of print and online articles and columns for Grainews for the past 37 years. He is also the author of Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water. Today, we are pleased to announce that Henry has […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Zero till: how did it all happen?

Soils & Crops: In Saskatchewan, necessity was the mother of more than one invention

By Les Henry June 7, 2024

In March 1993 in Grainews there appeared a piece by a certain soils columnist titled “A Quiet Revolution in Crop Production.” It concluded that within the next two decades we’d see a revolution in the way we farmed. It came to pass much as predicted — but what made it happen was work in farm […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures weaken on harvest pressure, firm dollar

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures higher, though traders uncertain about demand

Feed Grain Weekly: Corn prices steady, barley harvest slows

GFM Network News