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Tag Archives Soils and Crops

Larry Luba (left) and Paul Bullock with the Mobile drill. At the start, 45 feet was all of the augers we had, but before long a 75-foot hole was the first order of business at a new site.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: The soil salinity story

How it all happened

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Over the years, I have found readers like to hear about “how it all happened.” Sure, the results and how the results can direct crop practices is important. For soil salinity, our results have been communicated broadly for decades and practices have changed, but, in this piece, I will let you know how it all […] Read more
This photo shows the haze from a coal mine still burning beneath the borough of Centralia, Pa.
Columns

Les Henry: Climate and pandemics

Disease checks population growth — and CO2 emissions

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About a decade ago, the hype about climate change led us to believe we would soon be frying out and it was all due to humans and fossil fuels. My argument has been, over the past million years or so, ice ages and glaciers have come and gone many times and our agriculture area was […] Read more
The tree row catches the snow, and the big slough goes from dry to high water table. In years gone by, I spent many hours with three, two-inch pumps to move water from the slough to adjacent upland — not always a huge success.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Twenty-seven years of crops at my Dundurn farm

And a few lessons learned

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In the early 1990s, agriculture in Saskatchewan was still suffering from the devastation of the 1980s. Drought and poor crops with low prices were bad news. But, interest rates as high as 20 per cent were the kicker that resulted in much land going back to FCC or the Royal Bank. (Yes, Virginia, interest rates […] Read more
Bill Meneley (wearing sunglasses) checks out a flowing well on the farm of Gerry Wiens of Beechy, Sask.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Why do wells flow?

How to plug them and how not to plug them

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I will dedicate this piece to the memory of Bill Meneley (1933-2000), a hydrogeologist of much renown and our special consultant for the soil salinity work of the 1980s and ’90s. Those of you long enough in the tooth might remember the famous Red Adair, who was called in whenever a problem oil gusher was […] Read more
A look at last year's map shows the red has mostly given way to yellow.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Soil moisture map for 2023

This year’s map won’t be a surprise for most farmers

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Before we talk about the 2023 map, perhaps we should take readers back to the very first Stubble Soil Moisture Map, which was for the province of Saskatchewan only. It appears on page 109 of Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water if anyone wants to check it out. As far as I know, it was […] Read more
Les Henry: A note to readers
Columns

Les Henry: A note to readers

A health wake-up call, but soldiering on

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On July 12, 2022, my world took a sharp downturn on the health front. It was a very hot July day. I worked too hard for too long in the heat at my Dundurn farm. The end result was a bad case of atrial fibrillation, AFib for short. For some, AFib means you get a […] Read more
The Massey-Ferguson 510 with phone booth hot cab.
Columns, Equipment

Les Henry: Memories from combine days

I had 63 continuous years where it was my pleasure to rub out at least a few loads

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By the time this issue arrives in your mailbox, harvest should be well underway. In parts of the Palliser Triangle, the meagre harvest may be all over. Thankfully, many areas in 2022 will be a much different story than the huge drought of 2021. Some areas were too wet and needed heat to advance the […] 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
This map shows the soil zones of the Canadian Prairies and the corresponding wheat yields and water use.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Palliser’s famous triangle and soil zones of the Prairie provinces

Let's get back to basics

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The map, “Soil Zones of the Canadian Prairies,” in this article is the fold-out frontispiece of Henry’s Handbook of Soil and Water. The soil zones are actually soil climatic zones. The long-term climate is written in the topsoil of the various soil zones. The soil zones have been the framework within which agronomic recommendations have […] Read more
A field with the typical very red clay in Rollo Bay West, P.E.I.
Columns, Crops

Les Henry: Thank you to my readers

Your letters and book orders are excellent learning opportunities and inspiration for my scribbles

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We have received many letters and book orders with kind words, which is a great inspiration to keep scribbling, but it’s often also a chance for learning. In today’s world, it is a simple matter to use Google Earth and take a flyover. In many cases, one can also drop down via street view and […] Read more

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