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
A decade of dry
Let's review the variability of weather and soil moisture at Lethbridge
Soil testing and fertilizer recommendations on the Prairies
Are you getting the best 4R recommendations for your farm?
I have been retired for almost 10 years, but farmers still contact me occasionally with questions about their soil test reports and for assistance with interpretation. I am a big fan of soil testing but soil sampling, soil analyses and interpretation all must be done correctly. If not, results can be very misleading and costly […] Read more
In this information age, the information is aging
Up-to-date research is out there, but not always readily or easily available to farmers
I enjoy reading various agronomy- and soil-related extension information. Recently, I was reading an article from Alberta Grains’ newsletter The Growing Point on winter wheat production. At the end of the article was a link to a factsheet. That link took me to an Alberta Agriculture Agdex publication — which I wrote 16 years ago, […] Read more
The importance of soil testing after a season of drought
Develop sound, economical fertilizer plans for each crop and field
In my last article, I discussed concerns of herbicide residue carry-over after a season of drought. In this article, I will discuss the importance of soil testing for plant-available nutrients after a drier-than-normal growing season. Many farmers in the southern Prairies had below normal growing season rainfall, while some had almost no rain. The result […] Read more
Herbicide carry-over concerns on the Prairies
The 2023 growing season was drier and warmer than normal resulting in lower-than-normal crop yields over much of the Prairies. The worst affected areas are in the Brown and Dark Brown soil zones. Figure 1 shows an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada map of soil moisture conditions across the Prairies at the end of July 2023. […] Read more
How to manage and schedule irrigation, Part 2
Maintain proper moisture levels during the growing season for optimum crop yield
Initially, at the start of a growing season, an irrigation manager wants to ensure adequate water is available for crop germination. Sometimes, light, frequent water applications are needed to ensure excellent, uniform germination, emergence, stand establishment and early crop growth. This is possible with low pressure pivot irrigation systems, which apply rates as low as […] Read more
How to manage and schedule irrigation, Part 1
Here’s how to prevent water-induced stress on your crops
Two costly mistakes irrigation farmers can make are not starting to irrigate soon enough in spring and not applying enough water to keep up with crop water demands during the growing season. Good irrigation water management simply involves determining the correct amount of irrigation water to apply at the right times. The goal of irrigation […] Read more
How to understand and measure soil water
It’s important to estimate stored soil moisture at planting to adjust crop inputs
Water is often the most crucial factor in controlling crop yields. The amount of water used by crops can be affected by several factors including the availability of stored soil water, amount of precipitation during the growing season, crop rooting depth and various environmental aspects such as day length, amount of solar radiation, humidity, temperature […] Read more
The benefits of irrigation in Alberta
Irrigation plays a significant role in increasing crop and livestock production
Irrigation is often referred to as the “lifeblood” of southern Alberta. Irrigation water was first diverted from the St. Mary River in 1900 and arrived by canal system to Magrath, Raymond and Lethbridge. Now, 122 years later, just over 1.8 million acres are irrigated in Alberta. Irrigated agriculture contributes about $6.5 billion to Alberta’s GDP […] Read more
Why are farmers slow to adopt variable-rate fertilizer technology?
Reasons for the slow adoption rate plus tips to get you started
Variable-rate fertilizer (VRF) application has caught the interest of a lot of farmers over the past 15 years. However, the level of adoption of VRF has been slower than expected. A Fertilizer Canada survey of canola farmers in Western Canada in the fall of 2021 found only 10.2 per cent of growers used VRF application […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
