Reading Time: 3 minutes It is hard to imagine there is so little soil when we stand and look out at our vast landscapes where the ground lays in wait for the warmth of spring and the touch of the farmer’s hand. The shrinking global land base that is arable seems a country mile away and another farmer’s problem. […] Read more
There are many ways to view — and treat — soil
Healthy soil is a precious resource and we need to think more about that as we plan for our future
Listen to your crops — the plants are talking to each other
They’re also ‘foraging’ for nutrients, deciding where to put their roots, and calling for help when under attack
Reading Time: 3 minutes You might think it’s crazy — but plants talk to each other and act in ways that are similar to animals and humans. “Step away from the idea of plants as factories and start to think of plants as individuals,” biological sciences professor JC Cahill told attendees at the Western Canadian Soil Health and Grazing […] Read more
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
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
There are (giga) tonnes of benefits from properly grazed grasslands
Light to moderate grazing can enhance soil carbon levels by as much as 40 per cent — if the land is managed properly
Reading Time: 3 minutes Even with no-till, grain farming depletes soil carbon levels, says a University of Alberta researcher. “If you increase crop production above ground, you decrease carbon production below ground,” said Barry Irving, manager of the university’s ag research stations. “When you take production from below ground and move it above ground, that’s great for agriculture — […] Read more
Broadcast seeding: A last-resort option may gain traction this season
It’s far from ideal, but broadcasting may be the only choice for some this seeding season
Reading Time: 3 minutes All winter, many Albertan crop producers have had the distinct displeasure of driving past acres — in some cases, the many acres — they were unable to harvest last fall. In a best-case scenario, there will be enough time to harvest any redeemable crop, manage residue, and still seed in a timely fashion. But some […] Read more
It’s not business as usual when it comes to fertilizing this year
Unharvested crops mean there’s more nutrients in the soil and if you have to broadcast, there’s a chance to top up the nutrient bank
Reading Time: 3 minutes Nutrient management is a challenge even in average years — but a million unharvested acres mean this year will be far from average. Step one is determining available nutrients. In a cereal crop, the vast majority of the nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur and about one-fifth of the potassium taken in by the plant are contained […] Read more
How to build a soil-health bank account
This organic production technique offers a big-picture view of nutrient management — and a ‘tough love’ approach to soil fertility
Reading Time: 3 minutes Soil is a little like a bank account for nutrients — in order to manage them properly, you need to balance the budget. “No matter how big the bank account is, if you only take stuff out, eventually it runs out,” said University of Manitoba research technician Joanne Thiessen Martens. “We need to look at […] Read more
COVER CROPS: The potential is huge, but so is the learning curve
Those looking for a one-size-fits-all solution will be disappointed
Reading Time: 4 minutes Looking over at the emptied room that had been packed with attentive farmers a few minutes earlier, cover crops guru Kevin Elmy could only shake his head. “If I had given a talk here five years ago, maybe the front row might have been filled — maybe,” the Saskatchewan farmer said after his FarmTech presentation, […] Read more
New version of soil viewer launched
Reading Time: < 1 minute An updated version of the Soil Information Viewer is now available. “The viewer accesses soil information stored in database tables called the Agricultural Regions of Alberta Soil Inventory Database,” said David Spiess, a provincial geographical information systems engineer. “The information in the database looks at the ability of Alberta soils to grow grains crops, allows […] Read more
When it comes to healthy soil, you want to lump it
Soil aggregation is critical — in several different ways — to growing healthy crops
Reading Time: 4 minutes Think water is your biggest limiting factor when growing a crop? Think again. “Soil aggregation is the most important constraint that we have,” said Yamily Zavala, crop and soil health management specialist at Chinook Applied Research Association. “In order for a soil to function properly, we have to have all the soil processes — physical, […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
