organic matter Archives

Cover cropping requires intention

Science Brief: Keep your goals in mind

By Glacier FarmMedia staff April 27, 2025

A recent study of cover cropping in Western Canada underlines the importance of setting goals before adopting the practice. Jodi Holzman, who graduated from Royal Roads University with a master’s of science in environment and management, surveyed 26 farmers from across Western Canada who grew cover crops. She then conducted in-depth interviews with six farmers […] Read more

GrowPro

Soil health benchmarking survey in Alberta

Researchers at the Chinook Applied Research Association’s Soil Health Lab have adapted a soil health assessment from Cornell University to evaluate Alberta soils

By Leeann Minogue April 26, 2025

Every farmer wants “healthy soil.” But what does that mean, and how do they know if they have it? “The first question I ask when I’m speaking to farmers is, ‘How many of you have done soil testing?’” says Yamily Zavala, PhD, soil health lab manager and soil health and crop management specialist at the […] Read more

GrowPro

Ground Level: Mapping and managing eroded knolls

By Justin Dering April 26, 2025

How do we identify an eroded knoll? Eroded knolls lose soil organic matter due to years of tillage, wind and water erosion, which results in surface soil lacking good granular structure and thin to non-existent topsoil. When erosion occurs, it has different physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Some physical characteristics of an eroded soil can […] Read more

Crops, Features

Saskatchewan farm making compost pellets for added fertilizer

After years of trials, Kyle Heggie thinks his system is crop-ready

By Jeff Melchior April 14, 2025

Kyle Heggie has been spreading a unique blend of compost on his crops for years, and has also used on-farm trials to test the practicality of mid-row banding compost “pellets” into the seed row next to the seed.

Direct seeding and continuous cropping have meant plant residues are returned to the soil every year.

Columns, Crops

Soil organic matter and carbon sequestration

Changes in cropping practices over time have significantly improved soil quality

By Ross H. McKenzie April 4, 2025

Prairie farmers have done an excellent job shifting to direct seeding, continuous cropping, using much more diverse crop rotations and fertilizing crops adequately, along with various other good agronomy practices. This has very positively improved soil organic matter levels and improved soil health across all the soil zones of the Prairies.

Crops, Features, Weather

Prairie soils’ organic carbon climbing

Data from StatCan and AAFC highlight positive changes made in agriculture since the 1980s

By Robert Arnason June 13, 2024

Glacier FarmMedia — For much of the last five years, the federal government has been setting targets for Canadian farmers to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer and methane emissions from cattle. The government has provided funding to help producers cut methane and nitrous oxide emissions from primary agriculture, while constantly beating the drumbeat of […] Read more

David Lobb, a U of M soil science professor and researcher, considers soil organic matter and crop yield the two main indicators of soil health. He says soil organic matter levels are vital to crop production. Lobb blames the loss of topsoil and organic matter primarily on erosion.

Crops, News

The biggest bang for your buck? Improve soil organic matter

Soil organic matter is vital for crop production and soil health — here’s what it does, why and how to improve it on hilltops and knolls

By Lee Hart September 2, 2022

If you can tackle only one thing on your farm to enhance crop yields, let it be ways to improve soil organic matter. That may be somewhat of an oversimplification considering all of the factors that affect yield, but protecting and, where needed, improving soil organic matter levels may deliver the biggest bang for the […] Read more

Stuart Chutter, product coordinator for Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), says research has shown the leading factor to reducing the risk of yield loss on the farm is high soil organic matter. One day, crop insurance rates may reflect that.

News

What’s the relationship between soil organic matter and crop insurance?

Adjusting insurance premiums based on soil quality factors is an idea now being discussed

By Lee Hart August 25, 2022

This is all just in the thinking stage right now, but the day may come when farms that can demonstrate production practices that maintain high levels of soil organic matter may qualify for reduced crop insurance premiums. It is a concept being pondered right now by Alberta’s crop insurance agency, the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation […] Read more

An acre of such soil may have up to 1,000 lbs. of earthworms, 2,500 lbs. of fungi, 1,500 lbs. of bacteria and up to 1,000 lbs. of protozoa and insects — most fully active in June and July.

Columns, Crops

Understanding soil organic matter

Do you know your crop residues from your soil organic matter?

By Ieuan Evans February 3, 2020

The word “organic,” just like “environmental” has become confusing over the last 20 or 30 years. Organic food for example? All the food we eat is organic (except salt or other minerals). All farming activities are environmental, but every misinformed urbanite calls him or herself an environmentalist. “Soil organic matter” is made up of a […] Read more

Crops

Four ways to increase your organic matter

By Kevin Elmy April 10, 2018

A question that I hear a lot is, “How do cover crops fit into a grain operation?” Lots of grain farmers have no desire to get into the livestock business and no interest in producing hay. But many have some soil issues that need to be addressed. This can be done by buying more iron […] 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