Part 2 of 2: New analyses provide test results with handy scores that assess soil using a simple format, and make it easy for Alberta farmers to spot where an intervention or practice change might have the biggest effect.
Benchmarking soil health in Alberta
Researchers at the Chinook Applied Research Association’s Soil Health Lab have adapted a soil health assessment from Cornell University to evaluate Alberta soils
Measuring the components of healthy soil in Alberta
Part 1 of 2: Soil health more than just its chemical properties, according to the Alberta Soil Health Benchmark Report
The data Prairie farmers get from chemical analysis of soils are necessary to develop a field fertility program — but as an Alberta program shows, those data don’t tell the whole story needed to assess soil health.
Researcher focuses on farmers’ real-world problems
Groundbreaker: Mario Tenuta’s love of learning, and desire to be useful, have driven his career as a soil scientist
You’ve probably seen Dr. Mario Tenuta at an ag field day or a soil seminar. He’s the guy in the Hawaiian shirt, having a good time giving a presentation about new soil research or talking to farmers about what’s going on at their farms. Tenuta is a tenured soil ecology professor at the University of […] Read more
Soil health benchmarking survey in Alberta
Researchers at the Chinook Applied Research Association’s Soil Health Lab have adapted a soil health assessment from Cornell University to evaluate Alberta soils
Every farmer wants “healthy soil.” But what does that mean, and how do they know if they have it? “The first question I ask when I’m speaking to farmers is, ‘How many of you have done soil testing?’” says Yamily Zavala, PhD, soil health lab manager and soil health and crop management specialist at the […] Read more
How to contain grass fires
Tips to help keep your farm from going up in smoke
By October 12 of last year, at the end of a hot, dry harvest in southeast Saskatchewan, we thought we’d made it through the season without a fire. We started to relax. Even put a few things away. Of course, that’s when the fire broke out. That day, a spark that had been smouldering under […] Read more
Wait until they’re ready
Farm Safety: Keep your kids safe on the farm during Ag Safety Week and all year round
Because we have a 13-year-old on our farm who is just learning how to operate machinery, it seems important to take note of Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, March 15 to 21 this year. Farming is a dangerous job for experienced farmers; bringing children and teenagers near the dangerous equipment in our back yard is a […] Read more
Editor’s Column: All good things come to an end
Our March 10 issue of Grainews is my last as editor. When I took on this job in November of 2011, I planned to stay for six months. I was covering a maternity leave for the previous editor. I wasn’t fully qualified for the position. I’d never been an editor before, and I didn’t have […] Read more
Hiring labour for your farm
Ask the right questions, tell people about the job, and make sure you’re on the same page
At the Farm Forum Event in Saskatoon this winter, Leah Knibbs, a human resource management expert from Kn/a HR Consulting, gave farmers some tips on finding and keeping the right farm employee. Knibbs offered several pointers to use during job interviews. “The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour,” she said. When you’re asking […] Read more
A new mode of action coming from Bayer
New MOA may help farmers fight herbicide resistance
In a February 13 conference call, Bayer management told ag media about the company’s extensive research and development pipeline. Short-stature corn is in the works — that is, corn plants with shorter stalks, meaning decreased lodging problems and fewer nutrients needed. But for most Prairie farmers, Bayer’s upcoming new herbicide with a brand new mode […] Read more
Are you what you eat?
Professor in food distribution and policy says food choices are getting more complicated
At CropSphere in Saskatoon in January, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from the University of Dalhousie talked about food trends at a keynote presentation. “The three-meal institution is dying,” he said. While he does know that people still buy cookbooks, Charlebois sees no signs that people are cooking. However, people are paying more attention to what they […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
