Some days my job becomes a bit like codebreaking: I have to take the specialist language of science and translate it into something useful, not just readable.
Tag Archives Agricultural soil science
Decoding the science behind the story
Reporter’s Notebook: The more I do this, the more familiar the terms become
No such thing as a free lunch when it comes to crop nutrition
Yields can suffer if soils are deficient in any crop nutrient
When I worked as a plant pathologist for Alberta Agriculture in the 1970s, I was surprised to find only 10 per cent of Prairie farmers have ever had their soil tested for crop nutrients. How could they grow a cereal or canola crop without knowing what plant nutrients — nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), potassium (K) […] Read more
How to use remote sensing for crops to its fullest potential
Images from drones and satellites can be part of a much bigger picture
Remote sensing tools can produce a lot of valuable information about what’s happening on farmland and within your crops, but the full potential has yet to be properly harnessed, says a north-central Alberta agronomist after studying the technology for a couple years. Satellite imagery, aerial photography and images captured by unmanned drones are all forms […] Read more
Les Henry: Soil salinity and tile drainage
Can investing in tile drainage make your Prairie soil less saline and more profitable?
The idea for this subject came from a recent phone call from a farmer in west-central Saskatchewan. He was considering the purchase of a piece of land that was priced below recent sales but did have salinity problems. He was wondering about the feasibility of tile drainage to fix the problem and make the land […] Read more
Les Henry: The fifth fertilizer R: nutrient balance
As the fertilizer industry focuses on 4Rs, let’s not forget that balance is important
In the fertilizer business, the 4R concept has received much attention in recent years. The idea is to ensure that fertilizer use decisions are based on selecting the right fertilizer, supplying it at the right rate, at the right time and with the right placement of fertilizer. The first three Rs go back over 40 […] Read more
Facts can be stranger than fiction
These mineral and nutritional facts about plants and animals are strange, but true
If you need some very interesting reading this winter consider buying a book called, Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori. It’s fascinating. Drori describes trees from all around the world, including Canada. For example, rubber got its name from the original latex that the British used to cut into chunks to rub […] Read more
The five principles of soil health
USDA researcher says healthy soil needs a systems approach
At the Regenerative Agriculture Forum in Brandon in November, Jay Fuhrer, soil health specialist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service of the USDA, spoke about soil health. Fuhrer has identified five principles of soil health, and how they work to improve soil health and increase productivity. Fuhrer defined soil health is defined as “the continued […] Read more
Understanding soil organic matter
Do you know your crop residues from your soil organic matter?
The word “organic,” just like “environmental” has become confusing over the last 20 or 30 years. Organic food for example? All the food we eat is organic (except salt or other minerals). All farming activities are environmental, but every misinformed urbanite calls him or herself an environmentalist. “Soil organic matter” is made up of a […] Read more
AGCO’s tillage approach on trial
Are new technologies paying off in the field? AGCO wants to find out
This year AGCO hired a new PhD agronomist for North America and gave him the task of testing the effects of today’s equipment and high-tech features when used in the real world. Speaking to a group of journalists at the brand’s Jackson, Minnesota, facility this summer, Jason Lee gave an update on the progress of […] Read more
Emptying the tool box on fusarium head blight
There are no silver bullets, but these 11 agronomic practices can help
While there is no so-called cure for fusarium head blight a whole series of proper agronomic practices can be applied to stave off the impact of the disease, say Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers. Using FHB-resistant cereal varieties and applying registered fungicides is part of the story say Kelly Turkington, plant pathology researcher in Lacombe, Alta., and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
