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Tag Archives soil science

Les Henry. (University of Saskatchewan video screengrab)
Crops

Prairie soil scientist and author Les Henry, 83

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

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Glacier FarmMedia — Saskatchewan soil scientist Les Henry, well known for his work on improving Prairie farmland and his outreach to Prairie farmers in the pages of Grainews, has died. Ending a long fight with congestive heart failure, Henry died Friday in Saskatoon at age 83, having continued to write until very shortly before his […] Read more
les henry
Crops, News

Soil scientist and Grainews columnist Les Henry, 1940-2024

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

By
Saskatchewan soil scientist Les Henry, well known for his work on improving Prairie farmland and his outreach to Prairie farmers in the pages of Grainews, has died. Ending a long fight with congestive heart failure, Henry died Friday in Saskatoon at age 83, having continued to write until very shortly before his passing. Born in […] Read more
photo of cory willness and les henry
Crops

The legacy of Henry’s Handbook

A book well known to Grainews readers will remain available

By
Les Henry is a former professor and extension specialist for the University of Saskatchewan, a farmer, and a regular contributor of print and online articles and columns for Grainews for the past 37 years. He is also the author of Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water. Today, we are pleased to announce that Henry has […] Read more
An artist’s rendering of the Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility at the University of Manitoba. Photo: University of Manitoba
Crops, General

Feds, Manitoba pledge $6.4M to ag research facility

The new facility will modernize crop and soil research and training at the University of Manitoba

By ,
The Federal and Manitoba governments have thrown their weight behind development of a facility touted to become Canada’s pre-eminent resource for field crop research. “A great deal of our agriculture industry’s success comes from research and skill development,” said federal ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau in a news release, Tuesday. Bibeau and Derek Johnson, Manitoba’s minister […] Read more
This photo shows Earl Christiansen at the Shaunavon site in 2006. Earl and I had gone to check out the site after 24 years. Farmer Bruce Poppy left the patch of grass as we suggested and left our nest of piezometers. The “deep” 53-foot piezometer has since started to flow but not enough to cause flooding, so it is OK. In this case “deep” was 53 feet.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: How deep is deep?

Let us stretch your brain

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Thanks to readers for your book orders and kind notes of encouragement about my column. A recurring comment from readers is they appreciate the “thought provoking” ideas. Over many years of writing, there have been many articles that just provide facts and figures and specific recommendations for crop and soil conditions. However, some are designed […] Read more
The facts and fallacies of foliar feeding and other mistaken beliefs
Columns, Crops

The facts and fallacies of foliar feeding and other mistaken beliefs

Environmental conditions can dramatically affect the uptake of foliar-applied nutrients

By
Foliar feeding has been frequently advocated in recent years as a way to boost crop yields, or in the case of nitrogen (N) as a boost for grain protein in wheat. In reality, plants take in very little fertilizer directly through their leaves or stems. In a way, it is a process that does not […] Read more
Angela Bedard-Haughn, shown here delivering a TEDx Talk in Saskatoon in September 2019, becomes the University of Saskatchewan’s new dean of agriculture in August. (Video screengrab from Ted.com)
General

New dean of agriculture named for U of S

Soil science prof Angela Bedard-Haughn takes over Aug. 15

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One of Western Canada’s major post-secondary ag institutions will get a new hand at the wheel this summer. The University of Saskatchewan announced Wednesday it has named soil science professor Angela Bedard-Haughn as the dean for its College of Agriculture and Bioresources for a five-year term starting Aug. 15. Raised on a family farm in […] Read more
The No. 1 cause of compaction is working soil when wet.
Crops, Features

How to minimize soil compaction on your farm

Compaction facts, how to tackle it and its effect on your farm’s bottom line

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If you’re driving alongside your field before your crop comes up this spring, it will likely be very easy to see the paths your grain carts and combine drove last fall. Look a little closer and you might be able to see the lines your sprayer and even your seeder drove months before harvest. The […] Read more
Les Henry: Soil salinity and tile drainage
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Soil salinity and tile drainage

Can investing in tile drainage make your Prairie soil less saline and more profitable?

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The idea for this subject came from a recent phone call from a farmer in west-central Saskatchewan. He was considering the purchase of a piece of land that was priced below recent sales but did have salinity problems. He was wondering about the feasibility of tile drainage to fix the problem and make the land […] Read more
Dwayne Beck, research and production manager at the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, spoke at the Regenerative Agriculture Forum in Brandon, Man.
Crops, Features

Want to reduce pests and increase profits?

On the Dakota Lakes Research Farm, regenerative ag means good soil, good profits

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When a group of farmers near Pierre, South Dakota, established the Dakota Lakes Research Farm in 1986, their main focus was on irrigation and water issues. At the recent Regenerative Agriculture Forum in Brandon, Man., Dakota Lakes research and production manager, Dwayne Beck, described how he and his team have focused on better managing the […] Read more

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