soil Archives - Page 25 of 27

Farmers ahead of carbon curve

Farmers practise soil management, and play an active part in carbon sequestration

By Julienne Isaacs January 29, 2016

Carbon sequestration” is a term with plenty of traction these days. Technically speaking, it refers to long-term storage of carbon dioxide or other forms of carbon to help mitigate the fallout from climate change — a subject that increasingly figures on Canada’s agendas. In agriculture, carbon sequestration finds a home in discussions about soil management […] Read more

Summer Landscape with a field of yellow flowers. Sunset

Canola, Wheat & Chaff

2015 weather affects 2016 agronomy

Agronomy tips... from the field

By Rob Klewchuk January 28, 2016

Now that 2015 is pretty much under our belts, I think we can say, in general, that weather conditions got off to a fairly good start and then turned unusually dry for the balance of the season. And when the rains eventually did come, they came at the wrong time — creating challenging conditions at […] Read more

Crops, Features

Zero tillage can increase P loss

Phosphorus can drain off the soil during snowmelt. Periodic tillage may reduce the losses

By Julienne Isaacs January 28, 2016

The latest soil-management recommendation will come as a surprise: In some cases, producers should consider periodic tillage to reduce the risk of phosphorus (P) loss from conservation tillage systems. According to Don Flaten, a professor in the University of Manitoba’s Department of Soil Science, zero tillage actually increases P loading from soils to surface water […] Read more

Crops, Pulses

Manage root rot before seeding

Saskatchewan plant disease specialist recommends good agronomy to reduce root rot

By Lisa Guenther January 25, 2016

Lentil and pea growers struggling with root rot need to manage the disease before the seed is in the ground, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s plant disease specialist. Fusarium, pythium, and rhizoctonia are root rot pathogens long familiar to farmers. But aphanomyces is a relatively new problem, only detected in Saskatchewan in 2012. “It probably was […] Read more

Many wheat plants in Rodney’s field had turned pale green. The colouration wasn’t consistent throughout the fields and a regular pattern was evident.

Cereals, Crops

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: Paling wheat plants a puzzle

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the November 11, 2014 issue of Grainews

By Andre Laforge January 7, 2016

Early one morning back in mid-June, Rodney came by my office to share his concerns about his wheat crop at his 4,500-acre mixed grain farm near Carrot River, Sask. His wheat fields had all displayed a lush green colour just a day or two earlier, but now the crop had taken a decided turn for […] Read more

Crops, Features

Those critters are farming your soil

Soil Health: Healthy soil includes a healthy, complicated, diverse mix of bacteria and fungi

By Julienne Isaacs January 6, 2016

This was a clear message delivered by Mario Tenuta, Canada research chair in applied soil ecology and professor at the University of Manitoba, at a recent Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association lunch. “What the heck is soil health?” asked Tenuta. “You hear a lot about it these days, especially this year, the 2015 International […] Read more

News

VIDEO: Down to earth jewelry made in Manitoba

Provincial soil turned trinkets travel the world

By Lorraine Stevenson January 5, 2016

Manitoba Soil Sciences Society members have been using Newdale Clay Loam to make a series of pendants/keychains, bracelets, earrings and rings since Manitoba proclaimed it the provincial soil in 2010. MSSS members Marla Riekman and John Heard explain how the idea originated, how the jewelry is made, and the intent behind the ongoing initiative. All […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Using base-cation saturation ratios

Fertilizer recommendations based on BCSRs do not beat traditional approaches

By Ross H. McKenzie December 1, 2015

In my last column, I discussed soil pH and its effect on plant nutrients and fertilizers. In this article, more about basic, or alkaline, soils and how some agronomists are using base saturation to make fertilizer recommendations. Remember that soils with a pH of 6.6 to 7.4 are in the neutral range, pH 7.5 to […] Read more

Pea plants in the pale green areas were small and struggling compared to the larger, healthier-looking plants in the lush green areas.

Crops, Peas

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: Puzzling patterns in a pea field

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the October 21, 2014 issue of Grainews

By Mike Wassill November 26, 2015

Back in late spring, Allan was alarmed to see some strange patterns showing up in his crop of field peas at his 2,000-acre mixed grain farm near Aylsham, Sask. Irregular sections of pale green peas were appearing in the field, in contrast to the lush green growth of the rest of the crop. The pea […] Read more

Install the well. This photo shows a well installed with a cap on top — just loose of course. This was a very clean 11 foot hole so I had to set the top with natural clay from auger leavings.

Columns, Crops

DIY: Installing water table wells

With water in the soil, we can survive on little rain. Learn how to measure what you have

By Les Henry November 9, 2015

2015 will go into the books as a very different kind of growing season. In central Saskatchewan we started off with soil completely full of water after a big dump of snow on April 26. My rain gauges showed 2.5 inches of water when it all melted. And then Mother Nature turned of the tap […] Read more

Daily Network News

Southern California honeybees show resistance to varroa mites

Pulse Weekly: SaskPulse optimistic despite input, crop price concerns

Canadian aquaculture should be classed as agriculture, industry groups say

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