There are many old grass stands that are mainly brome grass and serve as hayfields with occasional grazing. Many hayfields have never seen a kernel of fertilizer. Perhaps this piece will start folks thinking and will lead to a change in practice. There are many old reports that deal with the topic. The two main […] Read more
Les Henry: New wrinkles when fertilizing grass crops for hay and pasture
One quarter section of fertilized grass could give the same yield as five quarters of “cut what is there”
Les Henry: The soil salinity story
How it all happened
Over the years, I have found readers like to hear about “how it all happened.” Sure, the results and how the results can direct crop practices is important. For soil salinity, our results have been communicated broadly for decades and practices have changed, but, in this piece, I will let you know how it all […] Read more
Les Henry: Climate and pandemics
Disease checks population growth — and CO2 emissions
About a decade ago, the hype about climate change led us to believe we would soon be frying out and it was all due to humans and fossil fuels. My argument has been, over the past million years or so, ice ages and glaciers have come and gone many times and our agriculture area was […] Read more
Les Henry: Twenty-seven years of crops at my Dundurn farm
And a few lessons learned
In the early 1990s, agriculture in Saskatchewan was still suffering from the devastation of the 1980s. Drought and poor crops with low prices were bad news. But, interest rates as high as 20 per cent were the kicker that resulted in much land going back to FCC or the Royal Bank. (Yes, Virginia, interest rates […] Read more
Les Henry: Why do wells flow?
How to plug them and how not to plug them
I will dedicate this piece to the memory of Bill Meneley (1933-2000), a hydrogeologist of much renown and our special consultant for the soil salinity work of the 1980s and ’90s. Those of you long enough in the tooth might remember the famous Red Adair, who was called in whenever a problem oil gusher was […] Read more
Les Henry: Soil moisture map for 2023
This year’s map won’t be a surprise for most farmers
Before we talk about the 2023 map, perhaps we should take readers back to the very first Stubble Soil Moisture Map, which was for the province of Saskatchewan only. It appears on page 109 of Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water if anyone wants to check it out. As far as I know, it was […] Read more
Les Henry: A note to readers
A health wake-up call, but soldiering on
On July 12, 2022, my world took a sharp downturn on the health front. It was a very hot July day. I worked too hard for too long in the heat at my Dundurn farm. The end result was a bad case of atrial fibrillation, AFib for short. For some, AFib means you get a […] Read more
Les Henry: Fuzzy thinking about soils and agricultural performance
What constitutes sustainable on a farm depends on soil climatic zone and what is feasible for the area
There seems to be a constant barrage of media comment about agriculture by folks who have little contact with real farms and little formal training in an agriculture faculty or school. Much of the discourse talks about sustainable agriculture, resiliency, regenerative agriculture and particularly soil health. There is not much detail about what the terms […] Read more
Les Henry: Memories from combine days
I had 63 continuous years where it was my pleasure to rub out at least a few loads
By the time this issue arrives in your mailbox, harvest should be well underway. In parts of the Palliser Triangle, the meagre harvest may be all over. Thankfully, many areas in 2022 will be a much different story than the huge drought of 2021. Some areas were too wet and needed heat to advance the […] Read more
Les Henry: How deep is deep?
Let us stretch your brain
Thanks to readers for your book orders and kind notes of encouragement about my column. A recurring comment from readers is they appreciate the “thought provoking” ideas. Over many years of writing, there have been many articles that just provide facts and figures and specific recommendations for crop and soil conditions. However, some are designed […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
