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Tag Archives soil
This week on ‘Between The Rows’
Episode 202, Dec. 3, 2020
Soybean inoculant a rare find
This innovative inoculant begins with a new bacterial species, then stacks it with another
Reading Time: 3 minutes Soybean inoculants have undergone considerable change in the past 30 years, evolving from non-sterile to sterile formulations in the 1990s and then to an almost complete reliance on the Bradyrhizobium japonicum bacterial species, with other strains added during the first decade of the 2000s, although primarily as nodulating triggers or plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR). Now, […] Read more
A change in mindset on soil
We’ve always talked of soil productivity. Hmmm… what if we talked soil profitability instead?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Ordinarily, rebranding is an exercise that involves a change in marketing direction in a changing marketplace or inside a changing company. We see it so often in agriculture. A product gets rebranded because of new use patterns or new tank mixes, or just because of corporate restructuring. Occasionally, though, a concept gets rebranded because of […] Read more
Dig deeper to understand soils
Challenging what we’ve always thought can be enlightening, not disruptive
Reading Time: 7 minutes Traditions and routines can provide stability, familiarity and perhaps a sense of purpose. Yet when they keep us from exploring new possibilities — for whatever reason — there’s less room for meaningful change. Earlier in 2020, Greg Patterson was a presenter at the Certified Crop Advisor (CCA)-Ontario chapter annual meeting in London, Ont., and created […] Read more
The best place for crop inputs…
Is where there’s enough moisture to grow a good crop. SWAT technology says it can tell you where that is
Reading Time: 5 minutes The description of Cory Willness’s canola field near Naicam, Sask., this year could fit hundreds of others across the Prairies. It has variable topography with too much moisture in the depressions. The topsoil on the knoll is poorer because of erosion over the years. “We also had had some establishment problems along the top this […] 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
Harnessing the power of the rhizosphere
Biochar — heat-treated organic material — can give the root zone a boost
Reading Time: 3 minutes Have you ever noticed how lush the crabgrass can get around an old firepit? It’s a small yet compelling example of the benefit that burnt wood residue can have on plant growth. But there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye in that interchange between plant, charcoal, soil and air, and Prem Pokharel […] Read more
Call in a nurse. A “nurse” crop that is
A second crop planted along with potatoes protects the soil and boosts yields
Reading Time: 3 minutes Recent years have seen increased attention on the health of the soil used in potato production, and attempts to bring potatoes into longer rotations with other crops. In the Maritimes, seed companies are promoting soybeans or corn as rotational options and McCain has developed one- and two-year multi-species cover crop blends to help boost organic […] Read more
Timmerman trains the Tiger Hills of Treherne
A Manitoba farmer has seen major yield improvement by recapping his hills with topsoil from his lower land
Reading Time: 5 minutes Dallas Timmerman farms in the Tiger Hills around Treherne, Man., and sometimes those tigers need training. “We have a lot of hills and sometimes you need to be aggressive with them,” he says. Timmerman’s chair and whip are a Leon scraper and Versatile 4WD. He started training his hills over a decade ago, working on […] Read more
Soil micronutrients get a closer look
There’s a growing realization that soil fertility means more than just N, P and K
Reading Time: 5 minutes Some days, it’s hard to keep track of the latest word on soil health and fertility. One minute the word on sulphur is that it’s no longer a secondary nutrient and that’s it right up there with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The next, we’re hearing that boron or molybdenum levels need more attention. According to […] Read more
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