Photo: Thinkstock

Four ways to increase your organic matter

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

Lentils

Should you be planting green manure?

Researchers see planting and terminating ‘green manure’ as an alternative to summerfallow

Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as well as the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture have published two recent studies about the effects of green manure on farmland in the Prairies. In one study specifically, the researchers looked at using green manure as an alternative to summerfallowing. Green manure “is a crop that is specifically planted in order to be terminated, […] Read more


charcoal

Biochar: Good for the planet and your farm

Biochar, charcoal made from burning organic matter at low temperatures, 
could be a way to store CO2 and add nutrients to your soil

By now you’ve heard all about about carbon emissions and climate change. You know that by burning hydrocarbons like oil and coal we humans have been putting CO2 into the atmosphere faster than natural processes can remove it, and that over the rest of this century this will result in more and more extreme weather […] Read more

photo: lisa guenther

Carbon in your soil

Carbon levels vary across the Prairies. The ideal amount 
depends on yield expectations and the local climate

Great civilizations, including the Mayans and Mesopotamians, have been built on productive agricultural systems, underpinned by fertile soil. And as soil quality eroded, so did these civilizations. But when it comes to soil organic matter, it seems Western Canadian farmers have learned from the past. People have known for centuries that dark soil is generally more […] Read more