soils Archives - Grainews

TAP program participants at a recent event at Enderlin, N.D., west of Fargo, check out a Montag fertilizer application unit, designed for use in reduced-tillage and cover cropping systems.

Soil health training served on TAP for Prairie agronomists

North Dakota's Trusted Advisor Partnership (TAP) program coming north to Manitoba, Saskatchewan

By Jim Timlick October 22, 2024

A program designed to provide agronomists with practical soil health knowledge — and a peer sharing network on the subject — will soon be establishing roots in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Canadian Prairies Trusted Advisor Partnership (TAP) plans to launch its first cohort of about 15 agronomists in January 2025. It will serve as a […] Read more

Farming Smarter’s strip tillage unit at work.

Crops, Features

Opposing exposure to erosion

Early indications in Alberta research are that soil stays put, with no adverse effect on crop performance

By Lee Hart August 28, 2024

Strip tillage and cover crops are two techniques being tested in southern Alberta applied research trials, seeking practices that will help reduce the risk of soil erosion. Farmers on the Prairies — and across North America — have made huge strides over the past 40 years in reducing soil losses by applying conservation farming practices […] Read more

A canola crop in the RM of Fletts Springs, just northwest of the RM of Pleasantdale, in 2019.

Canola, Columns, Crops

Where the canola was: a history of Saskatchewan yields by soil climatic zone

Whether by nature, nurture or both, yields jumped in several zones around the turn of this century

By Les Henry June 16, 2024

Editor’s Note: Les Henry, the esteemed Prairie soil scientist and our longtime soils columnist, left us on June 14 at age 83. Up until the day before his passing, Les was working on and revising this column for the next (July 11) edition of Grainews. We’ll still have this on paper for you in a […] Read more

Crops, News

Soil scientist and Grainews columnist Les Henry, 1940-2024

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

By Dave Bedard June 15, 2024

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

A peat slough by Highway 26 north of Pine Cove.

Columns

For peat’s sake: a picture story

Crops can be grown on shallow peat -- but there are very wrong ways to develop that land

By Les Henry March 17, 2024

Let us start with a mystery. Inga was raised on a farm near Loon Lake, Sask., west of Meadow Lake in the province’s northwest, so we have visited there many times in summer months. While driving Highway 26 north of Pine Cove nearby, I noticed what looked like peat sloughs. The trusty soil probe proved […] Read more

Tile drains are perforated plastic pipes installed below the crop rooting zone, used to reduce the depth of shallow water tables in imperfectly and poorly drained areas of a field. This pipe has a filter sock to prevent sediment from getting into the tile system.

Crops, Features

Make it drain: Is tile right for your fields?

A producer and an agrologist consider whether tile is worth your while

By Jim Timlick February 27, 2024

Tile drainage may be the best tool in the toolbox to manage saline soil in fields, a southwestern Manitoba farmer told an audience at the recent Ag Days farm show. Aaron Hargreaves, who co-owns Harwest Farms south of Brandon, said he and his four partners have struggled with soil salinity on their farm since they […] Read more

Columns, Crops

Soil testing and fertilizer recommendations on the Prairies

Are you getting the best 4R recommendations for your farm?

By Ross H. McKenzie February 7, 2024

I have been retired for almost 10 years, but farmers still contact me occasionally with questions about their soil test reports and for assistance with interpretation. I am a big fan of soil testing but soil sampling, soil analyses and interpretation all must be done correctly. If not, results can be very misleading and costly […] Read more

Under rainy skies on July 18, 2023 at Ag in Motion, Justine Cornelsen of Brett Young Seeds discusses soybeans’ evolving Canadian acreage base. (Glacier FarmMedia video screengrab)

Crops, Soybeans

At Ag in Motion: Soybean proponents still eye western expansion

Crop seen as a good add to rotations -- if conditions are right

By GFM Network News July 19, 2023

While canola is king of the Canadian oilseed market, the same can be said of soybeans in the United States. However, the big pulse crop south of the border has made inroads in the western provinces. Manitoba has seen the biggest growth in soybean acres with well over a million planted annually in recent years, […] Read more

General

At Ag in Motion: New ‘Soil Champions’ team to promote soil health

'Societies live and die by soil'

By Glacier FarmMedia staff, GFM Network News July 19, 2023

A new group of “Soil Champions” has been formed to promote the benefits of soil health. This new committee — announced Wednesday at the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask. — will work to ensure the care and protection of Canada’s agricultural soil through education, knowledge transfer, forums for collaboration and other activities. […] Read more

A handful of soil health projects have secured funding for the next five years in the hope of kick starting soil health practices in the field. (Assiniboine Community College photo)

Crops, Weather

Multi-million-dollar fund greenlights soil health projects

Eight projects to push soil health practices will get funding for the next five years

By Alexis Stockford, GFM Network News February 21, 2023

Eight soil health projects across Canada will be getting a multi-million-dollar boost in private funding over the next five years. The Weston Family Foundation — the philanthropic arm of the Weston business empire — has slated $10 million for those eight projects through the organization’s soil health initiative, it was announced Feb. 13. The initiative […] Read more

Alberta Crop Report: Higher-than-average yields expected

U.S. livestock: Tight cattle supply helps CME futures rebound from collapse

U.S. grains: Soy futures post weekly loss on expectations for big U.S. crop

GFM Network News