At Ag in Motion, experts share insights on soil texture, organic matter, cover crops and targeted amendments to help Prairie farmers conserve water and protect yields.
Tag Archives soil moisture
Farmers weigh strategies to boost soils’ water-holding capacity
At Ag in Motion, experts discuss soil texture, organic matter and amendments
Kuhn introduces the 5640 field cultivator
Wider 56- and 60-foot working widths introduced
French manufacturer Kuhn says its new 5640 field cultivator line features a redesigned frame that “optimizes” weight and strength, meaning farmers should see better performance in wet field conditions.
Taking the mystery out of soil and tissue tests
Agronomists and soil scientists describe the differences between various tests
Soil tests assess the potential availability of nutrients under optimal conditions. In contrast, tissue tests indicate actual uptake under variable field conditions.
The role of enhanced efficiency fertilizers in nitrogen fertilization
Crop Nutrition: Maximum crop production cannot be achieved with fertilizers and amendments alone
When trying to enhance crop production with fertilizer, we first need to answer the following questions: What crop yields are possible and what fertility and moisture are required to get there? Crops exhibit different water use efficiency in every part of the Prairies. Water use efficiency is also weather dependent and when combined with best […] Read more
Retain your rain
Farmers can get creative to manage water efficiency on Prairie fields
Growers often dismiss the unpredictability of precipitation as pure luck — but they can stack the odds in their favour with the right strategies. “There’s a lot of different dynamics going on with the water balance in the Prairies,” says Phillip Harder, research director and hydrologist at Croptimistic Technologies. In addition to summer rains during […] Read more
Lemken Solitair DT blends tillage and seeding
Combination unit wins Environmental Sustainability Award
Lemken’s Solitair DT combination tillage and seeding implement is new to the North American market, and the brand has been showing it at different farm shows around Canada this summer to introduce farmers to it. That included a stop at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show at Woodstock, Ont., where it won an Environmental Sustainability Award. It […] Read more
Research confirms value of taller crop stubble
Technology is available to help set up, measure and monitor on-farm research projects
Leaving taller crop stubble in the fall can improve the odds of higher crop yield in the following year, says Saskatchewan crop consultant Mike Palmier. His field observations in the 2021 growing season, followed by on-farm research trials through 2022 and 2023, produced data to support a recommendation to leave taller crop stubble. Even a […] Read more
Digging into the cause of poor yields
Did drought, fertility issues or something else lead to that poor crop? We look at the possibilities
Your client’s crop yielded poorly, and they assume it was due to drought. But you suspect it may be a fertility issue. How can you accurately diagnose the problem? Let us first examine what dry and drought mean. A dry year means reduced crop growth and reduced nutrient uptake, since biological, chemical and physical processes […] Read more
On-farm weather stations help guide management decisions
The return on investment can come from improved efficiency, helping growers get the most out of a crop under variable growing conditions
An on-farm weather station doesn’t make the crop grow better, but farmers and agrologists using the technology say real-time information about precipitation, wind, temperature and soil moisture reserves can help guide decisions about if or when to apply crop inputs — and provide a good indication of what yield they might expect. Field scouting is […] Read more
Stubble height can make yield difference
Under extremely dry growing conditions, do your best to manage the moisture that’s there
You may not think leaving stubble just a bit taller would make much of a difference — but field scale research in Saskatchewan is showing even two more inches of stubble height, for example, can trap snow that could translate into about $40 or more per acre in extra yield. That’s not just wishful thinking, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
