Tillage recruited to deal with moisture issues

Tillage recruited to deal with moisture issues

Farmers still want to be zero tillers, but high residue, excess moisture and weeds are putting tillage tools back in the field

Necessity is the mother of invention, but weather appears to be the mother of necessity, these days. That seems to fit as producers talk about the need for tillage in this October Farmer Panel. Zero-till and direct seeding are still foremost on producers’ minds when they look at overall cropping practices, but with several or […] Read more

Can tillage fit into a no-till system?

Can tillage fit into a no-till system?

Some zero-tillers are now looking to tillage to manage disease and weed issues

A large majority of farmers in Western Canada have adopted zero-till systems — with the exception of those in the Red River Valley who are dealing with heavy, wet clay soils where tillage is just a fact of life. Most farmers understand the many benefits of zero till, such as prevention of soil erosion, better […] Read more


barley - Glen Nicoll

Reduce your malt barley risk

Plant barley on field pea stubble, limit fungicide and reduce nitrogen application

What are the biggest risks on producers’ radars when it comes to growing malting barley? Some might say yield losses, some might say disease, and some might say reduced kernel quality or high protein levels — or a combination of all of these problems and more. New research customizes malting barley systems based on producers’ […] Read more

Native grass prairies and sunset

Forages and grasses for marginal land

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

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

Building up the soil in your fields

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

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

Location of Class 2 and 3 lands in Alberta using the Agriculture Canada Land Suitability Rating System. Alberta has no Class 1 agricultural land. Alberta’s Class 2 land is mostly located in the vicinity of Calgary.


Loss of our prime agricultural lands

Agronomy Management: In Western Canada, we're losing our most productive lands

Soil and water are the most important sustainable natural resources in Western Canada. Both are essential to produce food and sustain human life. We hear a lot about the dwindling quality and availability of freshwater supplies, but society does not recognize the importance of soil. We continue to lose more and more of our best […] Read more


A cover crop mix of warm and cool season plants ensures that soil life always has food.

Good reasons to plant cover crops

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

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

Some soybean plants appeared to be ripening much more quickly than others. Their leaves were turning yellow and brown, and in some extreme cases, looked crispy and even burnt.

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: Yellowing soybeans a mystery

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the February 3, 2015 issue of Grainews

An experienced hand at producing canola, wheat and barley on the sandy loam soils of his 4,200-acre farm east of Dauphin, Man., Brent was brand new at growing soybeans. Just after Labour Day, Brent gave me call to talk about a concern he had with his soybean crop as he prepared for harvest. “I think […] Read more


Topsoil moisture conditions mostly good, warmth spurs excellent crop growth

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending June 13

Seeding in Saskatchewan is expected to be completed this week, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. While there are few fields of oats and flax, as well as some greenfeed and silage, being seeded at this time, 99.5 per cent of the crop is in the ground. The five-year (2011-2015) average for this time […] Read more

Deep tillage can be beneficial under specific soil conditions, but use can also have serious negative effects on soil quality.

Understanding soil compaction

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

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