Reading Time: 5 minutes Near Oxbow, Sask., organic producer Ian Cushon spends a lot of time and energy trying to produce the key building block for plant life — his own nitrogen — because unlike most growers, Cushon can’t just spread some fertilizer and be done with it. If he wants to play the organic game and capture those […] Read more
Grow your own nitrogen
As the cost-price squeeze reasserts itself, those old ideas about producing your own nutrients might become new again —- which means the organic industry might have a thing or two to teach us
Ammonium sulphate seen tougher to find, afford
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — A shortfall in production seems to have made granular ammonium sulphate, the prime fertilizer used by canola growers in Western Canada, relatively scarce just weeks away from seeding. “Last year (it was) $470 a tonne, now it’s $525 a tonne; if you can get it. Those were the words from my supplier,” […] Read more
Nitrogen fixing pulse crops are a win-win for growers
There’s a compelling economic and agronomic case to be made for pulses, not just soybeans
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you ask Lee Moats why he grows pulse crops on his farm, he doesn’t have to scramble very hard for the answer to that question. “It’s about money,” the farmer and vice-chair of the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers Association told Country Guide during a recent discussion. On his farm at Riceton, Sask., Moats says they’ve […] Read more
The ultimate N rate for canola
If we could predict the weather perfectly, it might be different, but in the real world, the best tool to determine nitrogen rates is the soil test. It’s a great starting point for 2015
Reading Time: 5 minutes One lesson from the Ultimate Canola Challenge is that it’s a wise economic decision to follow your soil test recommendations for nitrogen. “We have always recommended soil tests to get an idea of the nutrient situation in a field, and what really pleased us about the Ultimate Canola Challenge results is how strongly they confirmed […] Read more
Precision variability in agriculture
For precision ag, the headline grabber is nitrogen. But how exactly the technology will improve N efficiency is still up in the air
Reading Time: 7 minutes When it comes to precision agriculture on the Prairies, all eyes are on nitrogen efficiency. It makes sense, after all. Nitrogen is an expensive input that seems to all too conveniently track the price of grain, at least on an upward trajectory. And after grain prices fall, nitrogen prices seem mysteriously to be a bit […] Read more
Fertilizer prices stray away from corn influence: Analyst
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — Foreign exports and transportation look like they could be the main issues facing the fertilizer industry in 2015. Countries such as Ukraine, Russia and Belarus are busy players on the market, with Morocco also ramping up production. As a result, more supplies of phosphates and other fertilizers are out there, according to […] Read more
Manure for cover crop
Interest in cover crops keeps building; now add some more nutrients
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s undeniable that interest in cover crops has taken off in the past two or three years. Red clover is making a comeback, there’s more being done with multi-species covers, and there’s renewed interest in seeding covers into standing corn crops. There’s even more research into using cover crops as emergency forage sources. Now comes […] Read more
Phosphate only in seed row
Fertilizer burn in the seed row causes hidden and costly damage in many canola fields, contributing to lower seed survival. Phosphorus is the only nutrient that shows any net benefit in the seed row with canola when soil levels are low
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canola is very sensitive to seed-placed fertilizer. We don’t know what percentage of canola seeds are lost to fertilizer burn or toxicity, given that many factors influence seed mortality, but generally, the more fertilizer placed with the seed, the more seeds and seedlings that will die. “Non-viable seeds and seedlings are a lost opportunity of […] Read more
Overfed
Can more N guarantee you a record-breaking soybean yield?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Like farmers everywhere, soybean growers are big fans of big yield numbers. The more bushels, the better, and now, with yields commonly into the 70s, some even talk of reaching the century mark in just a few years’ time. That quest is leading growers down a few unexpected roads, such as applying nitrogen to soybeans. […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
