irrigation Archives - Page 4 of 7

In August 2021, the Classen family used the water in their reservoir to backflood the tile drainage system to save some of their soybean crop, which was wilting and under extreme stress. They saw big results within 24 hours.

Take a ‘deliberate’ approach to water management

Backflood irrigation combined with tile drainage supported some of Joel Classen’s soybean yields through one of the driest summers on record

By Treena Hein October 6, 2022

To prepare for future drought, Prairie farmers could consider using large ponds with controlled drainage structures and tile drainage for a “much more deliberate water management approach,” says David Lobb, a professor of soil science at the University of Manitoba. “It’s possible to hold water back and use it when we need it in a […] Read more

An aerial view of parched terrace fields at Chongqing’s Fuyuan village in east-central China on Aug. 19, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Crops, Reuters, Weather

China’s farmers struggle to save crops as heatwave, drought drag on

By GFM Network News August 19, 2022

Chongqing | Reuters — As the tinder-dry countryside along China’s Yangtze river basin withers under a heatwave that has lasted more than two months, veteran farmer Chen Xiaohua recalled the last severe drought to hit his crops more than 60 years ago. “This year is drier than 1960,” said Chen, 68, from his plot of […] Read more

So far this season there have been no sick calves partly because conditions were dry. The scour “bugs” always seem to thrive in muddy conditions. The calves are old enough now to not be so vulnerable to the serious effects of scours, however; they don’t get as dehydrated as younger calves, and are more able to handle it.

Cattleman’s Corner

Finally some rain to get irrigation started

By Heather Smith Thomas June 17, 2022

April 26 This past week has been cold and windy. The creek is still very low. None of the high snow is melting yet and it may be days before we get more flow in the creek for irrigating. On Thursday, Jim drove to Missoula to pick up his twin sister, Melanie, who flew from […] Read more

Kees Van Beek, SDI director at Southern Irrigation, examines some winter wheat plants grown with subsurface drip irrigation at Lawrence Vandervalk’s farm in Nobleford, Alta., in 2021.

Crops, Features

A new way to water crops

Some Prairie farmers are opting for subsurface drip irrigation to boost crop production and increase water use efficiency

By Mark Halsall May 4, 2022

They’re a rarity in Western Canada right now, but that didn’t stop Lawrence Vandervalk from installing a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system on his farm in Alberta. “Technology doesn’t stand still. Technology keeps moving forward. This is just another step in the progression of irrigation, and I think it’s a big step,” says Vandervalk, who […] 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

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

Variable-rate irrigation was used to even out maturity in this wheat field on Dennis Bulani’s Saskatchewan farm.

Crops, Features

Expand your VRT toolset

Could variable-rate irrigation or variable-rate desiccation boost production or profits on your farm?

By Mark Halsall February 16, 2022

Nutrient applications typically come to mind first when you think about variable-rate technology (VRT). But as precision ag expert and variable-rate pioneer Dennis Bulani points out, there are many ways you can use variable-rate technology to boost production and the profitability of your farm. Bulani has been a staunch proponent of variable-rate farming ever since […] Read more

Crops, Machinery

AGI to buy into soil microbe breeding firm

Machinery maker to take minority stake in MyLand

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News June 15, 2021

A U.S. company ramping up a system to harvest, reproduce and restore beneficial microbes from a field’s own soils, as a way to restore peak fertility, expects to get backing soon from a Canadian farm equipment maker. Winnipeg-based Ag Growth International (AGI) said Monday it has signed a conditional letter of intent with Phoenix-based MyLand […] Read more

(Video screengrab from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry via YouTube)

Crops

Federal fund, Alberta government back irrigation upgrades

Infrastructure Bank lends cash for system improvements

By Dave Bedard, GFM Network News October 10, 2020

Eight irrigation districts in Alberta are set to tap into the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s new $1.5 billion pool of funding earmarked for irrigation, to receive loans worth about $407.5 million. The Alberta and federal governments on Friday announced a total investment of $815 million — including repayable CIB funds, provincial support and irrigation district contributions […] Read more

File photo of Diefenbaker Lake in southern Saskatchewan. (IanChrisGraham/iStock/Getty Images)

Crops, Machinery

Federal irrigation pledge seen flowing mainly to Prairies

Infrastructure plan also includes promised broadband support

By GFM Network News October 2, 2020

Prairie provinces will receive the bulk of Ottawa’s $1.5 billion commitment to support irrigation projects, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday launched a three-year, $10 billion infrastructure plan aimed at five different sectors, including agriculture. The $1.5 billion is expected to result in 700,000 acres of irrigated land. […] Read more

Brandon Hunnicutt and his family farm near Giltner, Nebraska.

Corn, Crops

Corn, corn, and more corn

There’s a lot of it, but  there’s also a plan behind Nebraska crop rotations

By Lisa Guenther September 25, 2018

If you drive through Nebraska in the summer, expect to see a lot of corn. It towers on both sides of grid roads and secondary highways, hiding deer just as well as forests do in northern Canada. Sometimes drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum fill corners and line borders, as a pollination buffer for seed corn. […] 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