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Tag Archives soil health

It is a great thrill for this old fossil to see soil moisture being used as a major factor in agronomic decisions.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Opportunities to learn in wintertime

What I discovered at the 2021 Crop Intelligence Annual Summit

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Winter is the time for catching up with reading not done in the busy farming season and going to agricultural shows and information meetings. For me, one of the highlights has been the Western Canadian Crop Production Show held in Saskatoon in early January. It was held this year, but I declined because of the […] Read more
Tips to conserve soil moisture and manage weeds this spring
Crops, Features

Tips to conserve soil moisture and manage weeds this spring

Plus, where tillage fits in and how and when it could be used

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Although it has only been on most farmers’ radars for the last couple of decades, no-till production has become a modern-day success story, with well over half of Canadian farmland now being farmed under its practices. However, no till relies heavily on herbicides to manage weeds and retain soil moisture. And with key herbicides like […] Read more
Drought-stressed peas in a fertility response trial in south-central Saskatchewan in 2021.
Crops, Features, Pulses

How to manage fertility for pulses after a dry year

Soil test and understand how nitrogen fixation can be affected

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When it comes to fertility planning for pulse crops, western Canadian farmers might want to consider soil testing this spring. That’s because there’ll likely be higher amounts of residual nitrogen left over and greater variability in nutrient levels due to last year’s drought, which curtailed crop uptake and nutrient utilization in many fields. “It’s important, […] Read more
Most Prairie farmers are well aware of the potential advantages of soil testing but lack confidence in the interpretation.
Columns, Crops

Soil analysis reports: get what you need

Seek out trained agronomists, reputable labs and wise interpretation of soil test results

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In the early 1980s, we used a commonly seen bumper sticker in southern Alberta that stated, “Don’t Guess — Soil Test!” to promote the importance of soil testing. However, 40 years later, less than 20 per cent of Prairie farmers soil test their fields on a regular basis. Why is this? For many farmers it […] Read more
Manitoba Ag soil management specialist Marla Riekman says soil compaction can limit yields and have an indirect effect on crop development.
Crops, News

Soil compaction could squeeze your yields

A look at the direct and indirect effects of compaction in your fields

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For years, soil compaction wasn’t something Jeff Hamblin gave a lot of thought to. The Manitoba producer had heard about how the seasonal freeze-thaw cycle in the Red River Valley and elsewhere in the Prairies acted to naturally alleviate farmland soil compaction, but it wasn’t until he started investigating some problem areas in his fields […] Read more
Should you till after a drought?
Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Should you till after a drought?

Q & A with an expert

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Q: What factors should be considered with fall tillage following a drought? A: Fall work might include tillage operations for fertilizer and herbicide applications. Other tillage operations might include vertical tillage for residue management and tillage to break up surface compaction. The question after a drought is, “Should I till?”  Many parts of Western Canada […] Read more
Establishment of a cover crop will reduce evaporation in the spring.
Crops, Wheat & Chaff

Soil health and cover crops

Q & A with an expert

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Q: What are the challenges associated with fall cover crops and are the benefits worth the effort?  A: The simple answer is cover crops will improve your soil health. Cover crops reduce soil erosion, improve nutrient cycling and provide a living biosphere for beneficial soil micro-organisms. The challenging followup questions include: Will cover crops work […] Read more
It was Yamily Zavala’s enthusiasm and commitment to the idea and the support of local farmers, businesses and other institutions that made the CARA Soil Health Lab a reality. Zavala studied and worked in Venezuela, where she was born and raised, and later earned a PhD in soil and plant nutrition from Cornell University. She has spent a good part of her working life studying the soil ecosystem.
Crops, Features

Soil studies just for the “health” of it

Alberta lab teaches farmers to be soil health investigators

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[UPDATED: Oct. 6, 2021] Farmers spend a lot of time working in and on the soil. As the holder of crop nutrients and, hopefully, water, soil is literally the foundation for growing crops, although under extremely dry conditions, it may seem like just so much dirt. But aside from what a soil analysis might tell […] Read more
St(RAW) deal
Columns, Crops

St(RAW) deal

Don’t rob our Prairie croplands — help rejuvenate them by working in all crop residues

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Here we go again. “Alberta May Get Straw Plant” was a headline that appeared last summer in an agricultural publication. Why the concern? How many of you remember those massive piles of straw on the Trans-Canada Highway near Elie, Man., just east of Winnipeg? There were stacks and stacks of big, round straw bales — […] Read more
(MyLand.ag)
Crops, Machinery

AGI to buy into soil microbe breeding firm

Machinery maker to take minority stake in MyLand

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A U.S. company ramping up a system to harvest, reproduce and restore beneficial microbes from a field’s own soils, as a way to restore peak fertility, expects to get backing soon from a Canadian farm equipment maker. Winnipeg-based Ag Growth International (AGI) said Monday it has signed a conditional letter of intent with Phoenix-based MyLand […] Read more

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