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Tag Archives Agricultural soil science

Native grass prairies and sunset
Crops, Features, Forages

Forages and grasses for marginal land

Permanent cover crops can increase fertility in "problem soils" over time

By
Jeff Schoenau has a word for agricultural areas currently in annual production that fail to deliver a return on expensive inputs: “heartache land.” It’s better known as “marginal” land, and it can be defined as land with soil that has limitations including poor water-holding capacity and water availability to roots due to sandy texture or […] Read more
Building up the soil in your fields
Crops, Features

Building up the soil in your fields

Changing your crop rotation and management can change the content of our soil

By
New research is showing that it is possible to make new, nutrient rich, productive soil on your farm without waiting for eons, simply by changing your crop rotation and management. The research, led by Dr. Stuart Grandy at the University of New Hampshire, is revising our conventional understanding of how soil organic matter (SOM) is […] Read more
Cover crops can help increase production by keeping soil cool, retaining moisture, and feeding the microbes and earthworms that build a healthy soil.
Crops, Features

How to plan your first cover crop

Before you choose a cover crop mix, make sure you know what you want it to do

By
Cover crops are becoming more popular. But how do you plan your first cover crop? The first part of the planning process is setting goals, says Kevin Elmy, owner of Friendly Acres Seed Farm at Saltcoats, Saskatchewan. Elmy has been growing cover crops for seven years and now grows and sells cover crop mixes. “With […] Read more
A cover crop mix of warm and cool season plants ensures that soil life always has food.
Crops, Features

Good reasons to plant cover crops

Not organic? Don’t have cows? Cover crops could still be a fit on your farm

By
If you went to a workshop about cover crops 10 years ago you wouldn’t have had any trouble finding an empty seat. Today, producers pack these workshops. Word is spreading about the benefits that cover crops could bring to their farms. Cover crops provide many soil and production benefits: increased organic matter content, vibrant, working […] Read more
Deep tillage can be beneficial under specific soil conditions, but use can also have serious negative effects on soil quality.
Columns, Crops

Understanding soil compaction

Agronomy Management: How to manage each of the three main types of compaction in your fields

By
In the last issue of Grainews I wrote about the effects of compaction on soil. Now, I’ll discuss the specific types of soil compaction and the ways each type can be managed. 1. Surface soil crusting This type of compaction is caused by a combination of soil tillage and raindrop impact. Causes: Tillage can bury much of […] Read more
field soybeans
Crops, Features, Soybeans

Soybeans shine with no-till systems

Researchers studied corn and soybean response to different soil and residue conditions

By
Prairie farmers new to soybeans and corn are still figuring out how to adapt their practices to these crops. Researchers at the University of Manitoba are doing the same. Dr. Yvonne Lawley is part of three projects examining soil and residue management of soybeans and corn. The first project looked at seeding soybeans into wheat […] Read more
Don’t misdiagnose soil compaction
Crops, Features

Don’t misdiagnose soil compaction

Erosion or true compaction? A correct diagnosis is key to proper management

By
Subsoils are naturally compact, and what looks like a soil compaction problem might actually be a case of erosion removing the top, soft layer of soil and exposing the dense subsoil. “People assume they have a soil compaction problem, but exposed subsoil is often misdiagnosed as a soil degradation issue,” says David Lobb, a professor […] Read more
Investing in vertical tillage tools
Crops, Features

Investing in vertical tillage tools

Soil Management: When it comes to vertical tillage, there is no "one size fits all" for every job

By
Farmers struggling with excess residue, moisture, or compaction are experimenting with various forms of tillage. But many questions remain about how to best use the equipment on the market today. In the fall of 2014, the Buiten­huis and Baillargeon families ran a tillage demo at their farm near Edam, Sask. They ran seven different tillage units, plus used a […] Read more
Combine Unloading
Crops, Features

Making precision ag work for you

Software and technologies are evolving fast. Find the combination that works for you

By
The software and technologies of precision agriculture have changed immensely since early yield monitors were first introduced. More and more tools are now available to cash crop growers to form data sets that help break fields into zones that allow for targeting of inputs and crop varieties specifically to those zones, says Doug Aspinall, a […] Read more
Learning about the 4Rs online
Crops, Features

Learning about the 4Rs online

Online training offers way to help farmers communicate sustainable practices

By
The 4Rs” is shorthand every western Canadian producer knows, even though the phrase has only been around for a few years. It stands, of course, for the Right source of nutrients at the Right rate and the Right time in the Right place. The 4R concept was developed by the Fertilizer Institute, the International Plant Nutrition […] Read more

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