The map, “Soil Zones of the Canadian Prairies,” in this article is the fold-out frontispiece of Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water. The soil zones are actually soil climatic zones. The long-term climate is written in the topsoil of the various soil zones. The soil zones have been the framework within which agronomic recommendations have […] Read more
Les Henry: Palliser’s famous triangle and soil zones of the Prairie provinces
Let's get back to basics
N2O, a powerful GHG — or is it?
Fertilizers, the big culprits — or are they? Psst! Punchline near the end but no peeking
The major greenhouse gases are CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane) and N2O (nitrous oxide). N2O is described as a very strong greenhouse gas that has a warming potential of 298 times that of CO2 according to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report or 265 times according to the IPCC Fifth Assessment […] Read more
Les Henry: Thank you to my readers
Your letters and book orders are excellent learning opportunities and inspiration for my scribbles
We have received many letters and book orders with kind words, which is a great inspiration to keep scribbling, but it’s often also a chance for learning. In today’s world, it is a simple matter to use Google Earth and take a flyover. In many cases, one can also drop down via street view and […] Read more
Les Henry: Nitrogen fertilizer. Where from here?
A look at emissions
Nitrogen fertilizer is much in the news this winter with the feds talking about seriously reducing its use to save the planet. This piece appears here at this time because I have just read Kevin Hursh’s March 1, 2022, column in The Western Producer with headline, “Have your say on reducing fertilizer emissions.” He makes […] Read more
PHOTOS: Les Henry: Saltlander grass for salty ground
This tale has a happy ending
Saline soils flush up to the max with a dry spell after many wet years. The wet years bring up the water table and the dry years provide the evaporation to concentrate the salt. There is often an underlying cause (literally). And that underlying cause is artesian pressure from an aquifer. On my Dundurn farm […] Read more
Les Henry: Big farms are not a new idea
There have been winners and losers over the years
There has been much ink spilled this winter talking about big farms and the problem of too few medium-sized farms to pick up the equipment trade-ins from big farms. Part of the problem is the electronic bells and whistles that dust out when the mechanical parts have much useful service left. Bells start ringing and […] Read more
Les Henry: Snow job 2022
Plus, seven tricks to try this spring
This year, in the February 8 issue of Grainews on precipitation cycles, I wrote, “The long-term cycles are the climate, but farmers must manage what the weather throws at us in any given year. As the winter rolls on, I have a few tips I will offer about managing around Mother Nature by using all […] Read more
Les Henry: Opportunities to learn in wintertime
What I discovered at the 2021 Crop Intelligence Annual Summit
Winter is the time for catching up with reading not done in the busy farming season and going to agricultural shows and information meetings. For me, one of the highlights has been the Western Canadian Crop Production Show held in Saskatoon in early January. It was held this year, but I declined because of the […] Read more
Les Henry: A look at soil nitrate-nitrogen
Is there enough residual nitrate-nitrogen in the soil to feed 2022 crops?
The drought of 2021 and the poor crops as a result have left us wondering what residual nitrate-nitrogen might be present in the soil to feed the 2022 crops. Nitrate in the environment The first thing we must realize is nitrate in the environment is, for the most part, a function of human activity in […] Read more
Les Henry: Some facts on precipitation cycles
What goes around comes around
This piece deals with long-term water table records as a basis for tracing long-ago annual precipitation. I am dedicating this to the memory of Bill Meneley (1933-2000), who was responsible for establishing the observation wells, which are the basis of what I have to say. He started that work while with the Saskatchewan Research Council. […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
