Reading Time: 8 minutes Soil health is on everyone’s mind these days. Perhaps it’s tied to volatility in the commodity markets, or to the risk of consumer and government scrutiny. Or maybe more growers are interested in “doing things right.” No matter the cause, there’s a long list of farm professionals welcoming the trend with open arms. “Ultimately, the […] Read more
Getting down to biology
Finally there may be a soil test to help you see your soil the way that your crop’s roots see it
Five Q and As on soil testing
Here’s what you need to know to make sure your plants have all the right nutrients
Soil testing will help you give your crop the best possible start. Dr. Jeff Schoenau, soil fertility expert at the University of Saskatchewan, delivered a free webinar on soil earlier this winter. Schoenau had answers to five common questions about soil testing and fertility.
No till goes dairy farming
In many ways, it’s been an easy transition for this dairy family
Reading Time: 6 minutes The Loewiths don’t describe themselves as a crop innovators, but they’re certainly not hesitant to glean advice from others and, with some careful consideration, adapt a practice or an approach to the conditions on their farm. So, while the move to no till in a dairy operation might seem a little different to some, with[...]
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Galega — a new forage import from Eastern Europe
Tests at the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station suggest it could be a high-yielding option for Eastern Canada
Reading Time: 4 minutes If lower commodity prices have proved anything, it’s that the search in Eastern Canada for cropping options and alternative management practices is not limited to just corn, wheat and soybeans. Canola growers in Ontario’s Near North and northwestern Quebec are testing fababeans and growers throughout the east are experimenting with cover crops and cover crop[...]
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Soil testing by laser beam
A Quebec company has developed a soil-test system using laser technology that reports more accurate results in just three days
Reading Time: 4 minutes Iké Nault regularly stops his ATV on a 25-acre freshly cut hayfield belonging to a producer from Howick, 30 kilometres south of Montreal. Probe in hand, the young technician methodically collects soil samples. Each stop is georeferenced as a green dot on a field map on his cellphone screen. It really is “space age” technology,[...]
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Pest Patrol: Do potassium levels affect my weed management?
#PestPatrol with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Soils that test “low” in potassium negatively affect weed control in soybeans. When soils test low for potassium, soybean plants will express deficiency symptoms that reduce canopy closure and allow more weeds to germinate and compete with the soybean crop for other resources. In the spring of 2014, Dr. François Tardif and I began a[...]
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20 questions for your N program
Start the discussion now, before heading to the field this spring
Reading Time: 6 minutes In the past 12 months, there have been plenty of discussions, presentations and stories in the farm media about fertilizer use. The topics have covered its many forms, its costs and volatility, sources and reserves, even perspectives on preparing to manage your fields with less. In the middle of the winter meeting season last year,[...]
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The right corn hybrid for your soil?
Pat Lynch says there are other ways to maximize production — and they’re more realistic
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s always high on any list of recommendations. No matter which researcher or agronomist you talk to, choosing the “right” hybrid for your field is always near their top of their Top 10 list for growing a more productive crop of corn. With precision ag systems, however, is it possible to determine which hybrids perform[...]
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Lessons learned from the last crop
It pays to do some ‘regressive analysis’ to see if some practice or treatment helped a crop excel even under adverse conditions
Reading Time: 3 minutes Yield results aren’t necessarily the end of the story, says a longtime western Canadian agrologist who recommends farmers get more scientific about how they use those yield numbers as a reference point for examining the past season, and for planning the next year. Increasingly, data analysis will drive crop production, says Rob Saik, who founded[...]
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VIDEO: Down to earth jewelry made from Manitoba soil
Provincial soil turned trinkets travel the world
Reading Time: < 1 minute Manitoba Soil Sciences Society members have been using Newdale Clay Loam to make a series of pendants/keychains, bracelets, earrings and rings since Manitoba proclaimed it the provincial soil in 2010. MSSS members Marla Riekman and John Heard explain how the idea originated, how the jewelry is made, and the intent behind the ongoing initiative. All[...]
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A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
