cover crops Archives - Page 3 of 8

Hunter Goliath turnips can be an excellent forage cover crop, although as the White Lake Colony learned one concern with turnips, especially if there is a high percentage in the forage mix is that the high protein crop “runs through the cattle too fast; the cows get very loose manure”.

Experimenting with irrigated cover crops

Program helps to extend the grazing season while also helping to benefit the soil

By Heather Smith Thomas April 6, 2022

The White Lake Hutterite Colony near Nobleford, about half an hour northwest of Lethbridge, Alberta produces both beef cattle along with annual crops, and in recent years they’ve started looking at growing cover crops under irrigation. Cattle manager Jerry Hofer has been trying several different species to be seeded after taking off soft white wheat […] Read more

Central Alberta beef producers, Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and son Caed have worked to improve beef genetics as well as forage and pasture management over the years as they work toward a year-round grazing system.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Producer closing in on year-round grazing

It’s an ongoing process of learning what works and doesn't work as growing conditions change

By Heather Smith Thomas February 22, 2022

Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and young son Caed farm near Lacombe in central Alberta not far from where Andy grew up. They raise Angus cattle and various crops. They have been on a journey over the past dozen years or more to develop a more efficient beef herd as well as a more […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

U.S. aims to double cover crop planting to address climate change

Farmers in 11 states to be eligible for program

By GFM Network News January 10, 2022

Chicago | Reuters — The United States aims to double the country’s cover crop plantings to 30 million acres by 2030 under a new Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program launched on Monday. The agency’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will spend US$38 million to help farmers in 11 states plant crops at a time […] Read more

This photo was taken September 24, 2021. This canola field near me had way more nice yellow flowers in late September than it did in mid-July. It looked like a decent crop at that time. With no rain in September and very little frost, it dried up for a second time.

Columns, Crops

Les Henry: The Birch effect on our soils in 2021

Microbes had a heyday when the rain came

By Les Henry December 16, 2021

As I watched the 2021 growing season unfold, there came a time when I started to think about the “Birch effect.” Lo and behold, when I went looking for the papers that documented the Birch effect, I stumbled on a piece titled “Fall Soil Sampling: the ‘Birch’ Effect” by Les Henry in the October issue […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

U.S. farm co-op CHS to pay members to enrol in Bayer carbon farming program

By GFM Network News November 3, 2021

Reuters – Agricultural seeds and chemicals supplier Bayer AG is expanding its carbon farming program to members of U.S. farm cooperative CHS Inc, boosting incentives for members to participate in the program, the companies said on Wednesday. The agreement will make it easier for CHS’s 75,000 farmer-members to enrol in Bayer’s Carbon Program, an early […] Read more

Establishment of a cover crop will reduce evaporation in the spring.

Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Soil health and cover crops

Q & A with an expert

By Nathan Trowell October 4, 2021

Q: What are the challenges associated with fall cover crops and are the benefits worth the effort? A: The simple answer is cover crops will improve your soil health. Cover crops reduce soil erosion, improve nutrient cycling and provide a living biosphere for beneficial soil micro-organisms. The challenging followup questions include: Will cover crops work […] Read more

Crops, News

After a dry growing season

While it’s definitely a disappointing and, for some, disastrous year, it’s no time to forget about the soil — farmers are urged to think about soil and nutrient management practices this fall

By Lee Hart August 24, 2021

With soil moisture conditions this August across virtually all of western Canadian farmland ranging from abnormally dry to beyond description, it might seem there isn’t much to be done to improve soil health and management until it rains. However, while it may seem counterintuitive, agronomists and soil specialists alike say don’t forget about soil testing […] Read more

An eight-inch-wide strip of tillage in a field with heavy corn residue.

Features

Several benefits come with an eight-inch-wide strip of tillage

By Lee Hart May 4, 2021

Western Canadian row crop farmers Dean Toews in southern Manitoba and John Kolk in southern Alberta have different levels of experience with strip tillage, but both see the value of working up these eight-inch-wide strips of soil in their fields with a range of production and conservation benefits. Toews, who is part of the family […] Read more

Building soil health for future generations is the main goal on Tim Nerbas’ farm in Waseca, Sask. Nerbas took the first steps toward improving soil health on NRG Farms more than 20 years ago when he made the decision to eliminate tillage entirely. Some of the farmland had not been tilled for more than 30 years. From there, he focused on crop variety and diversity and constant cover, which he sees as crucial to soil health.

Crops

Soil health management on Harvest Moon and NRG farms

Alberta and Saskatchewan producers discuss soil care

By Melanie Epp April 15, 2021

Since an unexpected disaster in 2017, in many respects, Alberta farmer Andy Kirschenman has had to start over. In October of that year, a massive fire ripped through Harvest Moon Farm. The Kirschenmans lost their house, a shed, a combine, quite a bit of equipment and most of the trees in the shelterbelt. But the […] Read more

Erin and Paul Kernaleguen have found that a change in forage production practices on their Saskatchewan farm has helped to reduce costs and benefit dairy production.

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Forages

Dairy farmers see multiple benefits from forage blends

Input costs have been reduced and more acres returned to crop production

By Heather Smith Thomas April 6, 2021

Dairy farmers Paul and Erin Kernaleguen near Birch Hills, Sask. say they’re convinced about the value of regenerative farming practices in growing forage crops for their cattle. They farm with Paul’s parents, Jos and Brenda Kernaleugen. “We were a conventional operation until 2012 when we started looking at doing things differently,” Paul says. “Our average […] Read more

Alberta crop conditions improve: report

U.S. grains: Corn sets contract lows on expectations for big US crop

U.S. livestock: Cattle strength continues

GFM Network News