There’s a perception in the farming community that soil erosion and degradation are in the past, but that simply isn't the case.

Don’t forget lessons of the Dirty 30s

Although there’s a perception that dust is past, tillage erosion is on the rise in Manitoba

It seemed like the beginning of the end of the world: friends and neighbours dying of “dust pneumonia” and massive dust storms sweeping the land. These are some of the recollections of people who were alive in the “Dirty 30s,” recorded for an oral history project by Daryl Ritchison, interim director of the North Dakota […] Read more

This soil is repairing and building, and looks like cottage cheese.

Balancing the soil biology

Helping Mother Nature with the fungi:bacteria ratio can keep our soils more productive

Soil health. Sounds like a good target we should be aiming at. Where do we start? What do we measure? How do we know when we get there? The first thing we need to find out is where are we? Nicole Masers is an agro-ecologist with Integrity Soils. For her three-day course in regenerative soil […] Read more


Stubble soil moisture map, November 1, 2017

Stubble soil moisture map, November 1, 2017

Les Henry’s annual map of fall soil moisture going into the winter months

The November 1, 2016, fall soil moisture map was, in a word, wet. In Manitoba and much of Saskatchewan all soils were at field capacity (holding maximum available water) and many areas were so wet that water tables were near enough to surface to be a factor. When the water table is within about five […] Read more

The Ceus can be equipped with a twin row of dish-shaped rollers that, according to the company, can cope well with stony fields.

New ‘Ceus’ tillage tool from Amazone

High-speed Ceus 60002TX Super debuts at field day

This fall, marketing reps from Amazone were taking the brand’s new Ceus 6000 2TX Super high-speed tillage tool on a demonstration tour across parts of Canada. At about the same time, during an international field day in Germany in September, the brand included the Ceus in its parade of new products and demonstrated what it […] Read more


Promise of self-fertilizing attracts investment

Promise of self-fertilizing attracts investment

Bayer bets big on a future where crops are designed to fertilizer themselves

There are a lot of efforts underway to optimize and minimize fertilizer use in crop production. Precision agriculture tools are improving the accuracy of where fertilizer is placed so that as much of it as possible reaches the plants that need it. And researchers from at least two Canadian universities — Ottawa’s Carleton University and […] Read more

Farming through the drought cycles

Farming through the drought cycles

Soils and Crops: Even with modern ag technology, we’re still reliant on rain or soil moisture

As the combines started to roll this fall, many were very surprised at how hard the truckers had to work. While not a barn burner, the 2017 crop will go in the books for many as good, and considering the lack of rainfall some will say it is great. We all like to point out […] Read more


Farm it like you’re ‘just’ renting it?

Farm it like you’re ‘just’ renting it?

Do farmers look after rented farmland differently than land they own? Should they?

We’ve all heard the term “drive it like a rental” but could that also apply to farmland? Is a farmer more likely to use conservation practices like no-till or variable rate technology, or apply more fertilizer and/or manure to improve the fertility on land he or she owns than on rented land? In April 2013, […] Read more

Tom King (left) from the soils science department at the University of Saskatchewan talked about plant nutrient and 4R field trials at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School in Indian Head in July.

Growing crops in saline soil

Sometimes dividing up the field is the best solution to salinity

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School is a great opportunity for farmers and agronomists to get outside for a hands-on, up-close look at plots, plants, insects and weeds. This summer, the School was held in Indian Head over two days in July. One of the many speakers, Gary Krueger, Saskatchewan Agriculture irrigation agrologist […] Read more


In my asparagus patch, September, 2012. Planting date was May 2002.

Getting to the root of the matter

In the third of a three-part series, Les Henry looks at roots of field and garden crops

This is the final of a three-part series. In part 1 (April 11, 2017) I talked about the folks that provided very detailed diagrams of many plant roots to the depth needed to get the complete picture. Part 2 (April 25, 2017) was perennial pasture and hay crops and weeds and part 3 is field […] Read more

Lay the groundwork for a strong soybean season

Lay the groundwork for a strong soybean season

Agronomy tips... from the field

Want to set the stage for a strong soybean crop? Start by seeding into warmer soils. Light tillage can help break up crop residue and spread it evenly across your field. Working up soil also attracts sunlight and heat more effectively. Aim to seed into moisture to give your beans a better start. If possible, […] Read more