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Tag Archives cover crops

I have seen pea crops combined in some years by the end of August or early September. What the smart farmer then does is heavy harrow the pea stubble and bury a few bushels per acre of peas that missed the combine. Under moist soil conditions, these peas will germinate and, in most instances, grow well into the end of October.
Columns, Crops

Let’s get real on cover crops

Let’s call them Prairie catch crops

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Cover crops have been much heralded as possible wonder fits for Canadian Prairie cropping systems. Sometimes they might fit. It really depends heavily on our most important nutrient of all — water — and the type of following crop you intend to grow. In many years of Prairie crop evaluations, it is no surprise that […] Read more
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”.
Cattleman’s Corner, Crops

Experimenting with irrigated cover crops

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

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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

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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
(Dave Bedard photo)
Crops, Reuters

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

Farmers in 11 states to be eligible for program

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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

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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
Photo: iStock/Getty Images
Crops, Reuters

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

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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

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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
After a dry growing season
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

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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

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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

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