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Tag Archives Soil biology

If producers really want to try and get moisture levels down in their soil and decide to till, they need to think carefully about their phosphorus needs, says Dr. Mario Tenuta.
Crops, Features

Tillage is tempting, but treacherous

While tillage can get you in the field faster, it can also disrupt networks in your soil

By
Many farmers across Western Canada have been struggling with wetter than normal conditions over the past few years. This spring many will again be facing soils that are close to the saturation point and puzzling over how to deal with them. Some farmers may turn to tillage to help dry them out, or at the very least to smooth […] Read more
McGrath and helpers dig some soil pits along transect lines on native prairie pasture that is part of Round Rock Ranching to establish some baselines through nutrient and biological soil testing.
Cattleman’s Corner, Crops

Are you a (soil) health nut?

Any treatments applied above ground will eventually affect what happens below your feet

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I was eternally blessed to enter the University of Saskatchewan while Les Henry was still teaching at a time when we were “forced” to take at least an introductory soil science course. I learned a lot in that introductory course; mostly about how much I didn’t know (and how much Dr. Henry did). But more […] Read more
Moisture and a reduced stocking rate helped pastures to get back into a productive state above and below ground.
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock, Pasture

Keeping soil biology ticking

Pasture Management: Grazing setbacks happen, but find opportunities to get back on track

By
Normal weather” at 4 Clover Ranch near Rocky Mountain House, Alta. has been illusive for a couple of years at least and it has created some grazing challenges at the expense of pasture performance. Our planned grazing system, where we look at the health of the grass on an ongoing basis, has responded well over […] Read more
Crop Diagnostic School organizers seeded plots to demonstrate the impact of different treatment on plant growth. Plots were planted with or without inoculant, with or without nitrogen, and one plot had inoculant, nitrogen, and phosphorus. This photo of peas is with no inoculant, no nitrogen. (see more photos at bottom of page)
Crops, Features, Pulses

The basics of pulse nodulation

Nodulation 101: how pulse crops work with bacteria to fix their own nitrogen

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At Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School at Swift Current in July, a lot of the in-field real estate was devoted to plots of lentils and peas. Organizers had seeded plots of both crops with and without nitrogen, and with and without inoculant. These plots gave Garry Hnatowich, research director at Saskatchewan’s Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation […] Read more
Cover crops can help increase production by keeping soil cool, retaining moisture, and feeding the microbes and earthworms that build a healthy soil.
Crops, Features

How to plan your first cover crop

Before you choose a cover crop mix, make sure you know what you want it to do

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Cover crops are becoming more popular. But how do you plan your first cover crop? The first part of the planning process is setting goals, says Kevin Elmy, owner of Friendly Acres Seed Farm at Saltcoats, Saskatchewan. Elmy has been growing cover crops for seven years and now grows and sells cover crop mixes. “With […] Read more
Dr. Mario Tenuta looks at arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi through a microscope at CanolaPALOOZA, hosted by the Manitoba Canola Growers Association and the Canola Council of Canada at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, in June.
Crops, Features

Nurture fungus for good growth

Find out why your flax suffers following canola. It’s all about the fungus

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There are a of things to consider when you’re planning long-term rotations: herbicide rotations, nitrogen needs, rainfall. How about adding fungus to that list? The relationship between fungi in your soil and plant roots has a big impact on your crop health. This relationship can cause flax to be stunted when it’s grown in rotation after canola. […] Read more
Putting life back into tired soil
Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Putting life back into tired soil

Productive soils should translate into more productive livestock

By
Last fall we were able to disc 10 acres of our old hayfield that has been increasingly infested with water hemlock. Considering this has been a work in progress for about 10 years it felt magnificent to actually, finally, have the equipment, time, and weather all at once. After researching chemical control of water hemlock, cultivation […] Read more
There are miles and miles of microscopic fungi “root” hairs in this soil ball creating a vast network of pockets to capture water and create a microclimate for other microorganisms, protozoa, amoeba, bacteria and enzymes — all key elements in nutrient-cycling process.
Cattleman’s Corner

Soil fungi key to grass production

The soil is a complex world working hard to complete natural cycling

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We always enjoy the cattle on 4-Clover Ranch near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. It was our own animals back in the day and now someone else’s are on the farm for summer grazing. Fact is, we are really grass farmers and have chosen to harvest the grass with cattle rather than the haybine. We have […] Read more
Those critters are farming your soil
Crops, Features

Those critters are farming your soil

Soil Health: Healthy soil includes a healthy, complicated, diverse mix of bacteria and fungi

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This was a clear message delivered by Mario Tenuta, Canada research chair in applied soil ecology and professor at the University of Manitoba, at a recent Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association lunch. “What the heck is soil health?” asked Tenuta. “You hear a lot about it these days, especially this year, the 2015 International […] Read more

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