The data Prairie farmers get from chemical analysis of soils are necessary to develop a field fertility program — but as an Alberta program shows, those data don’t tell the whole story needed to assess soil health.
Tag Archives soil
Measuring the components of healthy soil in Alberta
Part 1 of 2: Soil health more than just its chemical properties, according to the Alberta Soil Health Benchmark Report
Decoding the science behind the story
Reporter’s Notebook: The more I do this, the more familiar the terms become
Some days my job becomes a bit like codebreaking: I have to take the specialist language of science and translate it into something useful, not just readable.
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Seeding to be completed next week
Crop progress stands at 88 per cent
Warm and windy conditions allowed Saskatchewan growers to plant 88 per cent of projected acres as of May 28.
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Seeding ahead of average pace
18 per cent of Saskatchewan crop planted
Saskatchewan farmers have already seeded 18 per cent of the province's projected crop as of May 5, well ahead of historical averages due to dry weather.
Researcher focuses on farmers’ real-world problems
Groundbreaker: Mario Tenuta’s love of learning, and desire to be useful, have driven his career as a soil scientist
You’ve probably seen Dr. Mario Tenuta at an ag field day or a soil seminar. He’s the guy in the Hawaiian shirt, having a good time giving a presentation about new soil research or talking to farmers about what’s going on at their farms. Tenuta is a tenured soil ecology professor at the University of […] Read more
Digging deep for soil phosphorus
Field Notes: P movement is limited in soil, particularly under dry soil conditions
As my PhD work conducted over the past four years reaches its completion, I’ve reflected on my master’s work more in the last few months than I’ve done since completing it nine years ago. In this column, I would like to highlight a few take-home messages from that work. The 4Rs of phosphorus (P) stewardship […] Read more
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
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
Supersized grain carts a weighty problem
They can boost harvest efficiencies, but also ramp up risk of serious soil compaction. Here are some tips to reduce that risk
Grain carts can still cause serious soil compaction whether they’re on tracks or wheels, but Scott Shearer’s research at Ohio State indicates less of a yield hit with tracks compared to wheels in unfavourable soil conditions. Here are some tips to reduce compaction risk.
Cropland threatened by toxic metals: study
Up to 17 per cent of agricultural land at risk
Up to 17 per cent of cropland around the globe is contaminated by toxic metals, threatening agriculture and human health in the affected areas, according to new research published in the journal Science.
Saskatchewan farm making compost pellets for added fertilizer
After years of trials, Kyle Heggie thinks his system is crop-ready
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.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
