Soil background

The making of a healthy soil

“Soil health” is a popular topic, but Les Henry says the fine points are mostly spin

We hear a lot about soil soil health these days so thought I should brush up on the literature. To give the punch line first: in my opinion it is mostly spin. Any introductory course or soils textbook starts by picking a hypothetical pound of ground and revealing the basics. Soil is half solids and […] Read more

farm sustainability diagram

New tool measures farm operation sustainability

Demand for “field print” calculations is on the rise

Energy consumption, land use, erosion and climate impact are key to environmental management. Consumers and food retailers are now demanding this type of information. But how do you measure your efficiency? A new calculator can help. Denis Tremorin, director of sustainability at Pulse Canada, is the driving force behind the Canadian Field Print Calculator project and […] Read more


Cover crop buffet feeds microbes

Peace farmer Bill Gaugler is adding a cover crop to his farm’s 
rotation, in hopes of increasing yields with less fertilizer

Bill Gaugler hopes including a multi-species plant cover crop year in his rotation will improve soil health on his Alberta Peace River region farm. That could lead to several benefits — Gaugler hopes it could help improve his overall crop yields, or allow him to maintain yields with less or even no fertilizer. It isn’t […] Read more

Turnips used as a cover crop.

Cover crops increase profitability

Panelists shared cover crop success stories at the Commodity Classic conference in San Antonio

Cover crops not only improve soil health and bump yields, but also increase profitability, a U.S. farmer told farm show delegates in San Antonio. Jamie Scott was part of a panel at the 2014 Commodity Classic this past February. Scott uses cover crops on his Indiana farm and coordinates the seeding of cover crops on another 100,000 […] Read more