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Cropland threatened by toxic metals: study

Up to 17 per cent of agricultural land at risk

Reading Time: < 1 minute Up to 17 per cent of cropland around the globe is contaminated by toxic metals, threatening agriculture and human health in the affected areas, according to new research published in the journal Science.




Les Henry. (University of Saskatchewan video screengrab)

Prairie soil scientist and author Les Henry, 83

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia — Saskatchewan soil scientist Les Henry, well known for his work on improving Prairie farmland and his outreach to Prairie farmers in the pages of Grainews, has died. Ending a long fight with congestive heart failure, Henry died Friday in Saskatoon at age 83, having continued to write until very shortly before his […] Read more


The scoring system is designed to evaluate three important dimensions of soil health — its chemical, biological and physical attributes — and offer a value between 0 and 100, much like a report card.

Beyond N, P and K fertilizer

A Saskatchewan-developed system will give an overall score for soil health

Reading Time: 3 minutes What do soil-health testing systems have in common? Obvious answers aside, most weren’t developed in — or for — the Canadian Prairies. Two University of Saskatchewan researchers aim to change that with the first Saskatchewan-based soil health scoring framework. “Soil health is defined as the capacity of the soil to function,” says Qianyi (Athena) Wu, […] Read more

Clarence Swanton says healthy soil is one of the keys to reducing the effects of climate change.

An ounce (or more) of prevention…

Preparation is the best strategy for reducing the effects of climate change on agriculture

Reading Time: 5 minutes A growing contingent from research, agronomy and extension insists that rather than waiting for climate change to happen, agriculture should begin preparing for any contingencies of extreme weather now. The list of stakeholders is extensive, from university researchers, plant breeders, meteorologists to land-use planners, government bureaucrats, entomologists and plant pathologists. Some are interested in breeding […] Read more


Mike Cornelissen has been has upgraded his equipment three times as manufacturers have rolled out new designs.

Strip till catching on 

Residue management and improved soil health are among the benefits

Reading Time: 4 minutes In theory, strip till should boost yields, especially in corn, where the practice is most usually used. Clearing residue from a seed zone and berming the soil so it warms faster in preparation for spring planting sounds like an obvious benefit. More equipment manufacturers have adapted systems to enable “multitasking” such as combining strip till […] Read more