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Ross McKenzie heard a lot of micronutrient claims during his lengthy career as a provincial agronomist and researcher, but the vast majority couldn’t be substantiated.
Crops

Proceed with caution when it comes to micronutrients, says agronomist

It’s not hard to spend thousands of dollars on micronutrients that aren’t needed or produce little benefit, 
says Ross McKenzie

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Farmers need to put on their critical thinking caps when dealing with micronutrient claims — or risk spending lots of money for no or marginal results. There is a lot of hype surrounding supplemental micronutrients right now, said Ross McKenzie, a retired agronomy research scientist. However, not all micronutrients are created equally; some of the […] Read more
straw
Crops

Manage crop residue with next year in mind

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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
crop and nutrient management specialist Yamily Zavala
Crops

Soil fertility is about more than nutrients

Expert says farmers need to learn more about the physical and biological structures of the soil

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Reading Time: 2 minutes Many farmers tend to focus on the chemical composition of the soil, and ignore its other two key components — and that’s a mistake, says a crop and soil nutrient management specialist. “Farmers need to understand more about the physical and biological structures of the soil to manage their cropping systems,” said Yamily Zavala of […] Read more
man standing beside tractor
Crops

Skipping soil tests could cost you big time

You have to know how to interpret it, but not soil sampling and using 'the usual retail blends' can be a costly mistake

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Reading Time: 5 minutes Not very many hands go up when Mark Cutts asks a room full of producers how many of them test their soil every year. “I don’t think the majority is doing soil testing,” said the crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “If a producer is happy with his yields and he’s not soil […] Read more
Farm equipment spreading fertilizer in a field.
Crops

Fertilizer — prepare for worst-case scenario

Post-seeding application is one option, while healthy seed and timely 
spraying can boost crop prospects

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Prepare for the worst-case scenario, then things may not be as bad as you think.” That’s Ray Dowbenko’s advice for dealing with the tight fertilizer situation. The senior agronomist with Agrium thinks there may be shortages this spring, but not everywhere. “A lot will depend on your relationship with your retailer and your retailer’s relationships […] Read more

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