Consider that if you grow corn after wheat or vice versa and have a wet summer or fall, be prepared for possible outbreaks of pink mould/fusarium head blight in either crop in such a rotation.
Tag Archives Carbon dioxide
Corn’s amazing nature
Practical Research: The fusarium we see in small cereal grains is the anamorph of the pink mould seen in corn
Soil health benchmarking survey in Alberta
Researchers at the Chinook Applied Research Association’s Soil Health Lab have adapted a soil health assessment from Cornell University to evaluate Alberta soils
Every farmer wants “healthy soil.” But what does that mean, and how do they know if they have it? “The first question I ask when I’m speaking to farmers is, ‘How many of you have done soil testing?’” says Yamily Zavala, PhD, soil health lab manager and soil health and crop management specialist at the […] Read more
Prairie soils’ organic carbon climbing
Data from StatCan and AAFC highlight positive changes made in agriculture since the 1980s
Glacier FarmMedia — For much of the last five years, the federal government has been setting targets for Canadian farmers to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer and methane emissions from cattle. The government has provided funding to help producers cut methane and nitrous oxide emissions from primary agriculture, while constantly beating the drumbeat of […] Read more
The biology of oil and coal
A deep dive into their formation and uses
Both oil and coal are the products of plain and simple plant photosynthesis. That is the chlorophyll in green diatoms, microscopic algae and green plants on land, which thrived hundreds of millions of years ago as they trapped the sun’s radiant light energy. These microscopic green algae in the world’s oceans took light energy from […] Read more
Co-op to capture carbon at ethanol plant, refinery
FCL, Whitecap sign agreement to sequester fuel plants' CO2
A major Prairie ethanol and fuel producer is posed to spend just over half a billion dollars on a system to capture and sequester carbon dioxide from its operations in Saskatchewan. Federated Co-operatives announced Thursday it had signed a memo of understanding with Calgary-based ‘clean energy’ company Whitecap Resources, in which the latter company will […] Read more
Britain tells its food industry to prepare for CO2 price shock
U.K. pays fertilizer maker CF Industries to reopen plants
London | Reuters — Britain warned its food producers on Wednesday to prepare for a 400 per cent rise in carbon dioxide prices after extending emergency state support to avert a shortage of poultry and meat triggered by soaring costs of wholesale natural gas. Natural gas prices have spiked this year as economies reopened from […] Read more
U.K. meat industry warns of threat to supplies from CO2 crisis
CO2 shortage is caused by closure of fertilizer plants
London | Reuters — Some of Britain’s meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide (CO2) within five days, forcing them to halt production and impacting supplies to food retailers, the head of the industry’s lobby group warned on Monday. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and […] Read more
Where are we at with carbon credits?
Returns are limited at the moment but stay tuned, as programs are emerging
Carbon is one of the biggest topics of our day and it’s poised to increase in importance. It presents both an opportunity and a significant risk to agricultural production. Given this, it is probably a good idea for us to have at least a basic understanding of what carbon does and why is it important. […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn slumps as ethanol production hits decade low
Improved U.S. wheat crop ratings raise expectations of bumper supplies
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures slumped on Wednesday, giving up part of the previous session’s gains, as the U.S. government reported the U.S. ethanol industry saw a near-decade low in weekly production amid massive stocks. Wheat futures followed in mid-day trading, as investors squared up their positions ahead of Thursday’s world agriculture supply […] Read more
Carbon: the mega plant nutrient
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon dioxide? CO2 is at the heart of crop production
When teaching about plant nutrition the first step was to list the various categories of nutrients starting with major nutrients and ending with the micros. For this piece I’ll reverse the order and start with micros. The typical nutrients Micronutrients: Micronutrients are required in small amounts and not often added as a fertilizer. But when […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
