More cash available for 4R practices

More cash available for 4R practices

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canola Council of Canada is boosting incentives for the second year of its Canola 4R Advantage program. There are grants for soil testing, enhanced efficiency fertilizers, preferred application and field zone mapping. This year, the grants are being increased to $20,000 per farm (up from $6,000 last year), more incentives per farm (four this […] Read more


Gamma ray spectrometry provides a lot of info for soil modelling in a field, but it needs expert analysis to be useful, says Alex Melnitchouck, pictured here testing SoilOptix technology at Olds College’s Smart Farm.

Soil sensing goes radioactive with gamma ray spectrometry

A geiger counter for your fields is one of the latest innovations for mapping soil

Reading Time: 4 minutes Scanning your field with what is essentially a geiger counter may seem like a strange way to find out which areas might yield the most, but it works pretty well, says a digital ag expert. “In combination with soil sampling, gamma ray measurement can be used for soil modelling, creation of site-specific nutrient maps and […] Read more

No matter what method you use, cores need to be taken from the proper locations with rust-free tools — and no snacking while you’re doing that, says agronomist Rachelle Farrell.

Put away the snacks and pay attention when it’s soil sampling time

High fertilizer prices mean soil sampling is especially critical this year — and that means doing it right

Reading Time: 3 minutes With fertilizer prices through the roof, everyone and their dog is advising farmers to soil test like never before. But assessing your soil isn’t a simple business. “Soil potential is going to be determined by organic matter, cation exchange process, pH and the soil nutrients that are available, electrical conductivity and base saturation,” said Rachelle […] Read more


Soil testing should be part of a ‘this year is different’ plan, says veteran fertilizer expert Rigas Karamanos.

When it’s this pricey, handle fertilizer with care

Do a soil test, and realize what has happened to your nutrients after the drought, says expert

Reading Time: 3 minutes Between drought and the soaring price of fertilizer, you might want to manage your grain farm a little differently this year. “In a dry year, there will be reduced crop growth and reduced nutrient uptake,” soil scientist Rigas Karamanos said at Agronomy Update earlier this month. “We had plenty of heat, but not moisture. Consequently, […] Read more

Soil electrical conductivity data can reveal a lot about a field, says Lewis Baarda, seen here placing an instrument called an EM38 in a sled prior to field mapping.

Could soil electrical conductivity maps give productivity a little jolt?

This easy-to-obtain data could be a way to use fertilizer and irrigation more effectively

Reading Time: 4 minutes You might get a charge out of this — measuring the ability of soil to conduct electricity, turning that info into field maps of moisture, and then using that info to fertilize or irrigate more effectively. Soil electrical conductivity is something that may already be measured on your farm. “Often if farmers are getting their […] Read more


Agronomist Matt Gosling is a big-time advocate of soil testing but doing it right isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

Soil testing should be a cornerstone of your farm, says agronomist

Develop management zones, consider mobile nutrients, and don’t neglect phosphorus, says Matt Gosling

Reading Time: 4 minutes When you talk to Matt Gosling about soil — even if it’s over the phone — you can picture his eyes getting wider as his voice becomes more animated. He considers soil the cornerstone of crop agriculture: A living organism that is constantly shifting, changing and moving. By that logic, then, soil testing must be […] Read more

Soil testing will give you a plan for getting the biggest bang for your fertilizer buck, says provincial research scientist Doon Pauly. 

How much fertilizer do you need to apply?

Agronomy research scientist offers his tips for planning your applications this spring


Reading Time: 2 minutes Soil tests are still the best way to determine your fertilizer requirements for spring. “We can determine where we’re starting from as far as the nitrate that is present in the soil and what’s there for the plant at the start of the year,” said agronomy research scientist Doon Pauly. “Phosphorus, potassium, and salinity don’t […] Read more


There are a variety of soil sampling methods. Core or tube sampling is recommended as augurs and corkscrew devices tend to mix soils 
from different depths.

Here’s how to take control of the soil sampling process

Much can go wrong when soil sampling — here are the key things to keep in mind when getting the dirt on nutrients levels

Reading Time: 5 minutes Soil testing has long been a recommended practice before applying nutrients, and variable-rate fertilizing has made it more essential than ever. But the difficulty with soil testing is that so much can go wrong. Everything from how a sample is handled to the choice of a lab can impact results and recommendations. However, producers have […] Read more

Mark Cutts

Interest in soil health is growing, but testing still lags

It’s only a minority of producers who are soil sampling and that mystifies a provincial crop specialist

Reading Time: < 1 minute Some producers may be looking at soil health a little differently, but there are still not a lot of them taking soil samples, says a provincial crop specialist. “Soil sampling gives you an evaluation of the nutrient levels in your soil,” said Mark Cutts of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Stettler office. “If you know that […] Read more