Reading Time: 3 minutes I believe that at some point in history, we will fully appreciate and understand that healthy soil is our greatest competitive advantage and the most valuable asset on Earth. As agriculture is the foundation of all civilization, we cannot ignore the evolution of food production. We have gone from gathering food to industrialized agriculture and […] Read more
We need to dig deep and better understand our soils
Healthy soil is our greatest asset, and farm practices focused on just the short term undermine our competitive advantage
Now’s the time to attack winter annual weeds
Many winter annuals are often too well established or already flowering once spring arrives
Reading Time: 2 minutes Conditions are favourable this year for some excellent post-harvest weed control, says a provincial crop specialist. “Winter annuals are weeds that germinate in the fall or late fall, go through the winter in a rosette form, and go to seed quickly once spring comes,” said Harry Brook. Common winter annuals include stinkweed, shepherd’s purse, scentless […] Read more
Tapping into nutrients and tackling compaction with tillage radishes
The forage brassica has big-time potential for rejuvenating tired, compacted pastures — but there’s a learning curve
Reading Time: 3 minutes How effective are tillage radishes in rejuvenating poor soil and pastures? Staff at Clearwater County have been experimenting with tillage radishes to see if their theoretical benefits hold up in the real world. The fast-growing brassica can be used in forages as a cover crop and as feed for cattle; its long taproot can open […] Read more
Soil health conference bringing in leading experts
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ten leading experts will present current information on concepts for improving soil health at the Western Canada Conference on Soil Health in Edmonton on Dec. 8-10. Among the speakers are Gabe Brown, Jill Clapperton, and Martin Entz. The topics include building healthier soils through grazing, cover crops, soil health assessment, and ecological farm management. The […] Read more
Manage crop residue with next year in mind
Reading Time: < 1 minute How you harvest, what you are using to harvest, and what you do with the residue will have a huge effect on what happens next spring. “Crop residue isn’t trash as it has a significant amount of fertilizer value,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “The straw has probably the lion’s share of this, as […] Read more
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