Michelle Hubbard, an Agricutlure and Agri-Food Canada researcher, says chickpea-flax intercrop works to reduce ascochyta blight disease. She shares some theories on why.
Tag Archives intercropping
Ongoing research on chickpea-flax intercrop shows the mix reduces ascochyta blight
The intercrop works for reducing the disease, but Michelle Hubbard, an Agricutlure and Agri-Food Canada researcher, is still working on the why
Retain your rain
Farmers can get creative to manage water efficiency on Prairie fields
Growers often dismiss the unpredictability of precipitation as pure luck — but they can stack the odds in their favour with the right strategies. “There’s a lot of different dynamics going on with the water balance in the Prairies,” says Phillip Harder, research director and hydrologist at Croptimistic Technologies. In addition to summer rains during […] Read more
Corn-soybean intercrop goes to a taste test
The novel crop combination is getting an even more novel test of its utility
Glacier FarmMedia — Brett McRae is spicing up his corn grazing system this year. He’s got more than one variety growing — a grazing-oriented option and the typical silage corn — but the real experiment is happening beneath the canopy. This year, the corn shared space with forage soybean and hairy vetch. The beans were […] Read more
Cover crops: enough already
The benefits are often 'blown up' while the challenges are understated
Cover crops is a topic with a lot of ink spilled in many farm publications in recent years. Some scribblers seem to imply that a farmer is a laggard and an environmental hazard if she/he is not using cover crops on a regular basis. Cover crops actually include a wide variety of cropping sequences, and […] Read more
Tried-and-true soil strengthening tips
An Alberta producer offers a look at his soil health tactics
There’s a lot of talk in ag circles today about soil health. Several farmers are looking beyond current soil practices to what can be done to make their soil sustainable in the long run. This is nothing new to Josh Fankhauser. His family has been using practices to build soil health on their southern Alberta […] Read more
Safe bets for intercrop mixes
An experienced Saskatchewan farmer shares how two intercrop mixes have provided several benefits for his operation
Intercropping has been used for ages by farmers around the world as a way to boost overall crop production. With monocultures now dominating Prairie farms, you don’t see much of it these days. However, that could change as regenerative agriculture practices like intercropping continue to gain a foothold in Western Canada. Colin Rosengren is a […] Read more
It’s all about making healthier soil
Get soil chemistry and organisms back on track
What do you want to change about your cropping operation? That’s the first question farmers need to think about as they look into the relatively new world of regenerative agriculture (regen ag). It’s a big subject area, with plenty of variables, layers and “twists,” say agronomy consultants who work with producers on implementing regen ag […] Read more
Les Henry: Fusarium head blight update: nine years of data
A look ahead at crop rotations
The last time we talked about Fusarium head blight (FHB) was March of 2017. Some parts of that piece will be repeated here. Please note, this is being penned with my farm hat on. I am no expert on crop diseases but when I first saw that ugly pink colour on my 2010 wheat crop, […] Read more
Intercropping research catching up
Researchers are taking a look at the intercropping combinations farmers are trying at home
When most farmers think about intercropping, peas and canola come to mind, which has to date probably been the most common pairing for an intercrop system. But research by Lana Shaw at the South East Research Farm (SERF) in Redvers, Sask., has shown that other combinations — like chickpeas and flax or mustard and lentils […] Read more
The science behind intercropping
When plants can share nutrients, they can yield higher together than separately
Just as the adoption of no-till agriculture on the Prairies several decades ago was farmer-driven, the current shift to ecological (sometimes called regenerative) agricultural practices is no different, says Dr. Martin Entz of the University of Manitoba. “In this fascinating carbon world, we’re now moving beyond just crop rotation and beyond just grazing management all […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
