Direct seeding and continuous cropping have meant plant residues are returned to the soil every year.

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.



Understanding phosphorus, part 3: Developing fertilizer recommendations

Understanding phosphorus, part 3: Developing fertilizer recommendations

Agronomy Management: It’s important to have adequate P close to the seed during the first six weeks of growth

Part 3 of 3. Prairie farmers spend over $1 billion annually on phosphate fertilizer; these three articles will hopefully assist with a better understanding of how soil P functions in soil, soil testing for P and then how to develop wise phosphate fertilizer recommendations.

A soil scientist collects a sample from a test plot. The zero- to six-inch depth should be sampled separately from deeper samples to accurately determine P fertilizer requirements.

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


Fertilizer in storage at a phosphate plant in North Carolina.

Understanding soil phosphorus, part 1

Agronomy Management: Rotations and fertilizer management have dramatic effects on pools of organic and inorganic P

Farmers and agronomists are very aware that phosphorus (P) is an essential element needed for optimum crop production in Western Canada. Most soils used for annual crops in Western Canada are very low, low or medium in plant-available soil P and are responsive to added P fertilizer. As a result, phosphate fertilizer use is second […] Read more

Earthworm channels in soil tend to be enriched in organic matter, microbes and nutrients, which are of significant help in nutrient cycling.

One does not simply measure soil health

Agronomy Management: Just analyzing soil samples won’t give you the big picture

Over the past 40 years, Prairie farmers have made extraordinary strides in improving soil quality. Two major reasons were the shift from using summerfallow to continuous cropping, and the shift from conventional cultivation to no-till or minimum-till farming. Farmer adoption of these improved practices was gradual. Most famers were cautious and wanted to be sure […] Read more


rocky mountains alberta

Selenium sits on thinnest line between health and hazard

Agronomy Management: Removing selenium from water is costly and difficult at best

There are increasing concerns about the potential effects of a proposed coal mine development in southern Alberta and the impacts selenium could have on the environment in southern Alberta and into Saskatchewan. The proposed Grassy Mountain Coal project would be an open-pit mine built on a former coal-mining area about seven km north of Blairmore […] Read more

standing stubble from a fall harvested crop

Drought preparedness through soil and crop management

After each dry year, adapt your drought plan based on your experiences and what you learned

As spring approaches, the agricultural community is becoming increasingly concerned about potential forecasts of drought across the southern Prairies. And rightly so; the print and electronic media have posted numerous drought-related articles. Wide areas of southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan and their dryland farms, irrigated farms and ranching areas could be affected. But what helpful […] Read more


A centre-pivot system at work near Cowley, Alta., about 40 km east of Crowsnest Pass. Snowpack in mid-February was estimated at 50-75 per cent of normal at monitoring sites in southern Alberta's Rocky Mountains.

Managing irrigation with limited water

Some irrigation districts are advising users to brace for limits on available water

There is increasing concern with below-normal mountain snowpack and potential for limited irrigation water availability in 2024. Snowpack in mid-February was about 50 to 75 per cent of normal at most of the snow pillow monitoring sites in the Rocky Mountains of northern Montana and southern Alberta (visit the Alberta River Basins web page, then […] Read more

At Lethbridge just one year in the past 10 booked above-normal precipitation during its growing season.

A decade of dry

Let's review the variability of weather and soil moisture at Lethbridge

Weather is often the greatest factor that influences crop production across the Prairies — in particular, growing season precipitation and level of heat. The southern Prairies, particularly the regions of the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones, have the lowest growing-season precipitation, in the range of 150 to 200 mm (six to eight inches) and […] Read more