Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s not at all out of the ordinary for producers who farm thousands of acres to rent way over half their land, and while this provides some flexibility, it also comes with some uncertainty. Aimee Ferre Stang, her husband and her in-laws farm a combined 8,800 acres of rented and owned land in Saskatchewan. “Between […] Read more
Rent-farming: How safe is it to bulk up your rental acres?
Controlled drainage showcased on Ontario demo farm
Farm near Thorndale has numerous drainage and soil health practices to see
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Drainage contractors were hard at work at a farm just west of Thorndale in early June, creating a showcase tile drainage project. Numerous drainage systems and cropping best practices will be demonstrated at the farm, owned by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA). Why it matters: Drainage is important to profitability on […] Read more
New directions in cover crops
Today, factors like microbial interactions and soil quality are influencing choices and practices
Reading Time: 6 minutes In the midst of a renaissance in soil health, researchers, agronomists and extension personnel have been pushing the message that everything a grower does in a field is connected to everything else. Fertility is linked to planting depth, just as mycorrhizal fungi are connected to weed management. Nothing happens on its own without some effect […] Read more
Real work on soil health needs to be done
Fine speeches about our soil make us all feel good, but there's an increasing urgency for wider adoption
Reading Time: 5 minutes Soil health has received considerable attention in recent decades. There have been many champions who have promoted the benefits of good soil, farm organizations that have mounted campaigns to encourage its development and even Senate committees trying to help government recognize the urgency surrounding it. Yet reluctance to raise the bar on the subject remains. […] Read more
Investment model offers opportunity for farm expansion
Could Joelle Faulkner’s partnership concept work on your farm?
Reading Time: 9 minutes It’s a common scenario: Farmer Bill has been renting land from his neighbour for years but the time has come and he is ready to sell. He wants Bill to have first refusal on the land, but Bill has just financed a new barn and bought a new combine, so he’s too over-extended to raise […] Read more
The German question
Now that they’ve recovered from communism, these East German farms worry about the excesses of democracy
Reading Time: 9 minutes The fall of the iron curtain in l989 brought democracy to the former East Germany (DDR). For farmers like Bernd Klänhammer at Penkun, an hour and a half northeast of Berlin, it also brought, for the first time in their careers, the freedom to make their own decisions. Of course, Klänhammer wasn’t the only one […] Read more
What’s good about soil?
Soil health indicators often relate to properties that you can’t see
Reading Time: 6 minutes We’re planting more cover crops, we’ve got a heightened focus on soil organic matter levels, and now we’re adopting what’s thought to be a relatively new term: soil health indicators. They’re each part of a wave that’s been building, reflecting a renewed interest in the soil as the basis for all crop production. “It’s been […] Read more
A change in equipment vs. a change in mindset
Refocusing attention on soil health is the driver behind newer technologies
Reading Time: 4 minutes A number of years ago, Carl Brubacher looked at his soils and realized something had to change. He’d been relying on a full complement of tillage passes and he could sense his topsoil levels were becoming shallower. What he wanted was to find a way to avoid falling into the trap the U.S. has experienced, […] Read more
Better soil numbers
This project in Renfrew and Stormont may set the pattern for soil research across the country
Reading Time: 7 minutes In the chase for improvements in soil health, there have been many contributions from individuals and organizations that have enticed others to adopt new practices and work toward positive change on their farms. Of course, there have been challenges too, including those coming from the sheer diversity of farms and producers and the individual’s comfort […] Read more
Drowning in rain
How do you shed water in wet years yet conserve water in dry? Farmers in this small Saskatchewan watershed wrestle with the kinds of issues that may soon engulf the country
Reading Time: 11 minutes In the farmyard that once belonged to Nick Schmidt, lake water now laps towards his grain bins, outbuildings and corrals. A vintage car sits in water nearly up to its bumper. Looking at the scene, Dwight Odelein, a local farmer and nephew of Schmidt, recalls that 20 years ago, the water was five or six […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
