Reading Time: 2 minutes Warm and windy conditions allowed Saskatchewan growers to plant 88 per cent of projected acres as of May 28.
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Seeding to be completed next week
Crop progress stands at 88 per cent
Saskatchewan Crop Report: Seeding ahead of average pace
18 per cent of Saskatchewan crop planted
Reading Time: 2 minutes Saskatchewan farmers have already seeded 18 per cent of the province's projected crop as of May 5, well ahead of historical averages due to dry weather.
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.
COMMENT: Fertile land for growing vegetables is at risk — but a scientific discovery could turn the tide
Reading Time: 4 minutes Research work at Quebec's Laval University's Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, carried out in partnership with 14 vegetable farms, offers hope for ensuring the sustainability of their soils.
Critical Ground highlights the need for research during Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Senate's "Critical Ground" soil report makes 25 recommendations including designating soil as a national strategic resource, creating a national soil database and appointing a national soil advocate.
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
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
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
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
In one giant leap for Earth plants, seeds are grown in moon soil
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — Scientists for the first time have grown seeds in soil from the moon — samples retrieved during NASA missions in 1969 and 1972 — in an achievement that heralds the promise of using earthly plants to support human outposts on other worlds. Researchers said on Thursday they planted seeds of a […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
