soil Archives - Page 18 of 27

The future of broadcasting nitrogen in the fall

The inefficient practice is on the rise; however limits may be on the way in Manitoba

By Allan Dawson November 9, 2017

Broadcasting in fall is the quickest and easiest way to apply nitrogen — and the least efficient. So why, anecdotally at least, does the practice seem to be on the increase? Bigger farms and a shortage of labour could be part of it. Moreover, nobody knows when poor weather will shut down field operations. And […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Farming through the drought cycles

Soils and Crops: Even with modern ag technology, we’re still reliant on rain or soil moisture

By Les Henry October 31, 2017

As the combines started to roll this fall, many were very surprised at how hard the truckers had to work. While not a barn burner, the 2017 crop will go in the books for many as good, and considering the lack of rainfall some will say it is great. We all like to point out […] Read more

Different types of soil have different properties. University of Alberta research is focusing on measuring soil quality.

Crops, Features

Controlling traffic to improve your soil

A new test offers another way to test soil quality improvements

By Julienne Isaacs September 22, 2017

It can be called “fractal hierarchical aggregation” or just “fractal aggregation.” Whatever the moniker, the new method of soil health testing promises to offer an important way to assess soil quality and land stewardship, says Guillermo Hernandez, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. Hernandez is the lead researcher on a suite of projects […] Read more

Features

Farm it like you’re ‘just’ renting it?

Do farmers look after rented farmland differently than land they own? Should they?

By Angela Lovell September 18, 2017

We’ve all heard the term “drive it like a rental” but could that also apply to farmland? Is a farmer more likely to use conservation practices like no-till or variable rate technology, or apply more fertilizer and/or manure to improve the fertility on land he or she owns than on rented land? In April 2013, […] Read more

Bob Sandford of the United Nations University says agriculture productivity needs to be increased, but with limited impact on earth systems. (John Greig photo)

Crops, Weather

Canada’s soils still degrading, albeit more slowly

By GFM Network News September 8, 2017

The rate of degradation of soils in Canada has slowed, but it still is happening at a significant rate and there is still a lot to learn. There are no soil-perfect systems yet for crop production, attendees at the Summit on Canadian Soil Health held recently in Guelph heard repeatedly. No-till farming has declined in […] Read more

Tom King (left) from the soils science department at the University of Saskatchewan talked about plant nutrient and 4R field trials at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School in Indian Head in July.

Crops, Features

Growing crops in saline soil

Sometimes dividing up the field is the best solution to salinity

By Leeann Minogue September 8, 2017

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School is a great opportunity for farmers and agronomists to get outside for a hands-on, up-close look at plots, plants, insects and weeds. This summer, the School was held in Indian Head over two days in July. One of the many speakers, Gary Krueger, Saskatchewan Agriculture irrigation agrologist […] Read more

(Alberta Farmer Express photo by Jennifer Blair)

Canola, Crops

Clubroot ‘heavily’ infests NW Saskatchewan field

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News August 29, 2017

Clubroot has made its presence known in the far northwest of Saskatchewan’s canola-growing region, with the discovery of a “heavily infested” field. SaskCanola on Monday reported the discovery of the disease in a field in crop district 9B, but didn’t give its specific location. District 9B is a group of 16 rural municipalities east of […] Read more

Crops, News, Weather

Harvest underway in south Sask., topsoil moisture worsens

Saskatchewan Crop Report for the week ending July 31

By Saskatchewan Agriculture August 3, 2017

Harvest is underway for some producers in the south, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. Less than one per cent of the provincial crop has been combined, while slightly more than one per cent is ready to straight-cut. Forty-seven per cent of the fall rye, six per cent of the winter wheat, two per […] Read more

These old wooden elevators at Laura, Sask., had developed some peculiar angles by the late 1980s when I took this photo. The Tessier aquifer is underneath and flows from a relatively shallow depth. In 1946 the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator in Laura drilled a 28-foot test hole that flowed, but no well is recorded.

Columns, Crops

How water comes out of the ground

Water comes to the surface in many different ways

By Les Henry August 2, 2017

In my last column I looked at water entering the ground and the factors that control that flow. This time, I’ll look at water coming out of the ground and the clues it leaves about its origin. Contact springs A contact spring occurs when the contact zone between a very sandy soil and a finer […] Read more

General

It’s time for Canadians to dig up their undies

By Grainews Staff, GFM Network News July 27, 2017

It’s time for Canadians to grab their shovels, head into their gardens, flowerbeds or fields and reveal their underwear. Part 2 of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada’s (SCCC) experiment to help gauge the health of soils has come to an end, and if you buried a pair of cotton briefs, now is the time to retrieve them. “The Council was […] Read more

Daily Network News

New strategies needed for Canadian agriculture to stand out in global trade

Feed Grains Weekly: Cash prices for wheat, barley largely flat

The Canadian GMO mustard wars: Dijon vs canola

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