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Axten Farms has been using controlled traffic farming on their southern Saskatchewan farm for about eight years. It is one of the changes in production practices that is helping to break up soil compaction, improve water infiltration rates and support improved crop yields.
Equipment, Traction & Compaction

Farmers assess the effects of soil compaction

How some producers recognize and manage the issue

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While Mother Nature does its best in Western Canada to alleviate soil compaction through the freeze and thaw cycle, researchers suspect nature has a hard time keeping up with the pressure (figuratively and literally) of modern agricultural technology. Bigger, heavier equipment travelling over fields, particularly when soil conditions are wet, is believed to cause soil […] Read more
What manure does over and above its nutrient content is to provide organic carbon matter, which does wonders for soils.
Columns, Crops, Livestock

Manuring cropland can be misunderstood and overdone

Sources of manure and compost

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There are some 60,000 cow-calf farms and 20,000 dairy operations in Canada. Cattle numbers are around 12.5 million with more than 40 per cent of this total in Alberta. Alberta also had 90 per cent of the beef feedlots with lesser numbers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are 14 million hogs at any time in […] Read more
These sloughs with salt rings are near Conquest, Sask. Shallow (25 to 100 feet) glacial aquifers are the source of the pressure that prevents downward flow of water to drain the slough. The constant upward pressure maintains a high water table even in dry periods when evaporation is busy concentrating the salts.
Columns

Les Henry: Sloughs and ‘bathtub’ salt rings

Some sloughs have rings, some do not — why?

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Sloughs (polite name is potholes) are widespread on the Canadian Prairies and particularly in Saskatchewan, which has a great depth of glacial deposits. The sloughs catch much of the snowmelt and runoff from summer rains. If the water in the slough is the sole cause of salt rings, then all sloughs should have them. Artesian […] Read more
Here is a soil core laid out for sampling. Soil samples collected for soil nutrient analyses should be placed in breathable bags. In this picture, soil moisture samples were being collected and placed in stainless steel containers to precisely determine soil moisture content.
Columns, Crops

The importance of soil testing after a season of drought

Develop sound, economical fertilizer plans for each crop and field

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In my last article, I discussed concerns of herbicide residue carry-over after a season of drought. In this article, I will discuss the importance of soil testing for plant-available nutrients after a drier-than-normal growing season. Many farmers in the southern Prairies had below normal growing season rainfall, while some had almost no rain. The result […] Read more
Meet your Soil Champions
Editor's column, Wheat & Chaff

Meet your Soil Champions

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At Ag in Motion 2023, the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC) announced a new initiative — a committee of “Soil Champions.” These soil champions are tasked with conveying a soil health message beyond the farm to the broader agricultural industry, food processors, consumers and the government. Their message: the importance of soil conservation. They […] Read more
A typical brome grass field of the many I drive by on the way to Dundurn Farm. In wet years, there are many bales and in dry years only a few bales. The rain or soil moisture is always needed but if fertility is missing, wet years become ordinary years not high-yield years.
Columns, Crops, Hay, Pasture

Les Henry: New wrinkles when fertilizing grass crops for hay and pasture

One quarter section of fertilized grass could give the same yield as five quarters of “cut what is there”

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There are many old grass stands that are mainly brome grass and serve as hayfields with occasional grazing. Many hayfields have never seen a kernel of fertilizer. Perhaps this piece will start folks thinking and will lead to a change in practice. There are many old reports that deal with the topic. The two main […] Read more
For irrigation farmers, two critical terms to understand are allowable depletion and readily available water. Allowable depletion is the amount of water that can be removed from soil without affecting crop yield or inducing crop water stress. The water between field capacity and allowable depletion is referred to as readily available water.
Columns, Crops

How to manage and schedule irrigation, Part 1

Here’s how to prevent water-induced stress on your crops

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Two costly mistakes irrigation farmers can make are not starting to irrigate soon enough in spring and not applying enough water to keep up with crop water demands during the growing season. Good irrigation water management simply involves determining the correct amount of irrigation water to apply at the right times. The goal of irrigation […] Read more
A University of Saskatchewan researcher conducting phosphorus fertilization trials near Central Butte in 2021.
Crops, Features

Phosphorus fertility studies reveal best placement

Proper placement of phosphorus fertilizer is crucial to meet the nutritional needs of plants

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Like most Canadians these days, farmers are looking to get the most bang for their bucks. That’s especially true when it comes to applying phosphorus fertilizers to their fields. Jeff Schoenau, a professor of soil fertility at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) and chair of soil nutrient management for the Saskatchewan Ministry of […] Read more
For most farmers, the simplest, easiest and cheapest way to measure soil moisture is using the hand-feel method.
Columns, Crops

How to understand and measure soil water

It’s important to estimate stored soil moisture at planting to adjust crop inputs

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Water is often the most crucial factor in controlling crop yields. The amount of water used by crops can be affected by several factors including the availability of stored soil water, amount of precipitation during the growing season, crop rooting depth and various environmental aspects such as day length, amount of solar radiation, humidity, temperature […] Read more
What is soil fertility?
Columns, Crops

What is soil fertility?

There are no miracles in crop production, just sound scientific facts

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Soil fertility for field crops is a very simple affair but extremely difficult to easily explain. Think logically. There are no miracle fertilizers, only plain and simple chemical nutrients whether from an organic source or from a concentrate of nutrients we call chemical or synthetic fertilizer. There is no such thing as a synthetic fertilizer. […] Read more

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