drainage Archives - Page 2 of 3

Bob Sandford of the United Nations University says agriculture productivity needs to be increased, but with limited impact on earth systems. (John Greig photo)

Canada’s soils still degrading, albeit more slowly

By GFM Network News September 8, 2017

The rate of degradation of soils in Canada has slowed, but it still is happening at a significant rate and there is still a lot to learn. There are no soil-perfect systems yet for crop production, attendees at the Summit on Canadian Soil Health held recently in Guelph heard repeatedly. No-till farming has declined in […] Read more

Figure 1. A slough on nearly level clay soil on the University of Saskatchewan farm. This photo was taken on April 28, 2017.

Columns, Crops

Natural controls on internal drainage of sloughs

Whether or not your slough will drain quickly is a more complicated question than it appears

By Les Henry July 7, 2017

Many farms in Western Canada are plenty wet, and the 1.25 inches of rain we got on May 7 set seeding back a few days. When a rain like that comes we hope for a hot, dry wind to “dry it up.” But, evaporation is a small party of the overall equation. Sloughs do not […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Saskatchewan to tap farm leaders for drainage board

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News May 16, 2017

Representatives from four Saskatchewan farmer organizations will sit on a new provincial advisory board on farm drainage policy. The provincial government on Tuesday announced the creation of two advisory boards: a policy development board and technical review board. Specific members haven’t yet been named to either board, but the province said the policy advisory board […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Saskatchewan to rework farm drainage complaint process

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News November 29, 2016

A new complaint process to deal with unauthorized drainage on Saskatchewan farmland is expected to lead to resolutions in months instead of years. Scott Moe, minister responsible for Saskatchewan’s Water Security Agency, on Tuesday introduced legislative amendments meant to encourage “producer co-operation through the formation of watershed associations and (allow) for producer-led projects.” Under the […] Read more

Crops, Weather

Saskatchewan orders drainage into Quill Lakes stopped

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News July 14, 2016

Saskatchewan property owners draining land into the overflowing Quill Lakes in the east-central part of the province without prior approvals are being ordered to close those drains. The provincial government’s Water Security Agency (WSA) on Thursday said it would invoke new drainage regulations passed last fall and require all unapproved drainage works flowing into the […] Read more

The T-Rex rotary ditcher uses an eight-foot rotary cutter to quickly create drainage runs.

Machinery

Ditch digging with a T-Rex

On-farm machine development creates another option for dealing with drainage

By Scott Garvey March 18, 2016

Anyone visiting machinery shows over the past year in Saskatchewan or Manitoba has probably noticed the T-Rex rotary ditcher on display. Niverville, Manitoba, farmer Grant Dyck created the T-Rex Ditcher to solve his own on-farm drainage and ditching needs, and last summer he began commercially producing them. “T-Rex stands for the terra excavator,” he said, […] Read more

This graphic, from a University of Minnesota Extension Bulletin, shows some common designs for tile drainage.

Columns, Crops

Trying tile drainage on your farm

There's information out there. Do your homework before starting tile drainage

By Les Henry March 11, 2016

I am not an engineer and will not give recipes for pipe size, spacing or equipment. Rather, I’ll look at the principles and steps a farmer should take before investing big bucks in tiles. Tile drainage is not a new technology. Many of the better soils of the world are on flat, low lying, high […] Read more

Features

New tool measures farm operation sustainability

Demand for “field print” calculations is on the rise

By Rebecca Hannam April 21, 2015

Energy consumption, land use, erosion and climate impact are key to environmental management. Consumers and food retailers are now demanding this type of information. But how do you measure your efficiency? A new calculator can help. Denis Tremorin, director of sustainability at Pulse Canada, is the driving force behind the Canadian Field Print Calculator project and […] Read more

Though there have been worse floods along the Red River in Manitoba, 2009 still packed a punch for many farmers.

Columns, Crops

Extreme weather events: Part 3 of a three-part series

In the third part of a three-part series on water, Les Henry takes a look at the long term

By Les Henry March 6, 2015

The past few wet years have left some folks wondering if this is the new normal. What with Global Warming and all, perhaps we will have to live with these wet extremes. What we fail to recognize is that our experiences — even old fossils like me — are but a very brief flash in […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Excess water and farm drainage: Part 1 of 3

In the first part of the a three-part series, Les Henry tackles the dreaded  “D-word” that can get folks’ dander up. That’s right. Drainage

By Les Henry February 12, 2015

This is Part 1 of a three-part series on drainage. Part 2 will deal with water quality and Part 3 with wet cycles and extreme weather. The past few years have been “back to the 1950s” for rain. Excess water has been the result. The 1950s spawned the Conservation and Development Branch (C&D) of Saskatchewan […] Read more

GFM Network News

B.C. ostriches culled, CFIA confirms

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs end week on high note

U.S. grains: Soybeans bounce as Chinese demand assessed, wheat drops

Tag Archives drainage

Canada’s soils still degrading, albeit more slowly

Natural controls on internal drainage of sloughs

Saskatchewan to tap farm leaders for drainage board

Saskatchewan to rework farm drainage complaint process

Saskatchewan orders drainage into Quill Lakes stopped

Ditch digging with a T-Rex

Trying tile drainage on your farm

New tool measures farm operation sustainability

Extreme weather events: Part 3 of a three-part series

Excess water and farm drainage: Part 1 of 3

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