Farmers across Canada care deeply about their soil but Derek and Tannis Axten of Axten Farms take it to a whole other level. The Minton, Sask., farmers’ commitment is is even written into their company’s tagline — loyal to the soil. “The reason I like it is it kind of reminds us that everything we… Read More
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The layers of a soil profile are like a biography, telling the long-term history of a soil, but they also tell a shorter-term story about what happens with water and plant nutrients as crops are grown each year. This Soil School episode takes us not quite six feet down in a soil pit in a… Read More
How can farmers diagnose soil fertility issues? What tools can identify nutrient deficiencies and best manage variability across fields and farms? On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, Bernard Tobin visits Southwest Crop Diagnostic Days at the Ridgetown College campus, University of Guelph, to report on three soil testing and mapping technologies — GroundWork, SoilOptix… Read More
The biological market in agriculture is growing exponentially, as many companies are investing in development and introducing products that contain bacteria or fungi that are supposed to provide a significant benefit to a farmer’s crop or soil. It’s up to farmers and their agronomists and retailers to not only determine whether a biological product works… Read More
Understanding each field’s soil is key to maximizing yield potential. That’s the philosophy Fieldwalker Agronomy’s Jonathan Zettler takes to the field when advising clients on how to best manage the unique environments throughout their farms. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soil School, host Bernard Tobin catches up with Zettler at Luymes Farms at Moorefield,… Read More
When talking soil, often the topic focus is on soil type, nutrients, moisture, or microbiology. But what about soil structure? As Steve Larocque, Alberta farmer and founder of Beyond Agronomy explains in this Soil School episode, the physical types of soil can’t be changed, whether it be sand, silt, or clay. However, how land is… Read More
A new online tool has been launched to help farmers and agronomists in Western Canada understand nutrient removal rates to make more informed fertilizer decisions. The Prairie Nutrient Removal Calculator provides updated estimates of nutrient removal for 12 different crops, based on samples collected from farmers’ fields in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in 2020 through… Read More
More organic matter, fewer weed seeds and insect pests, and a nitrogen credit: that’s what farmers get when they put forage in the rotation, says independent agronomist Pat Lynch. From better soil health to higher yields, the benefits of forage — especially alfalfa — is a story that Lynch promotes passionately. On this episode of… Read More
This episode of Soil School is an interview with Jodi DeJong-Hughes, of the University of Minnesota, discussing how best to adopt strip tillage and avoid some of the common pitfalls farmers face when changing practices. DeJong-Hughes examines optimum season of application, controlled traffic farming, crop type, and trafficability when it comes to strip tillage. Listen… Read More
Cover cropping — and then planting into that green cover crop in spring — has become more common in pockets of the U.S. and Canada over the past decade, but the adoption rate has tended to be slower in more northern areas with short or dry fall seasons. These also happen to be areas where… Read More
Warren Schneckenburger is a big proponent of no-till and optimizing soil health, but he also has a disc cultivator that he turns to in times of need. The Morrisburg, Ont. farmer likes to say he farms in reality — he and his family have been focusing on soil health for a decade, but the clay… Read More
For those who love soil, there’s nothing quite so painful as driving along a country road in winter, and seeing topsoil smeared along the snow banks. “Snirt” or “snoil”, depending on who you ask, is valuable top soil that’s been picked up by wind and shifted in to ditches, approaches, or even neighbouring fields. In… Read More
Boron is one of the essential micronutrients needed to grow a high-yielding crop of canola. When looked at in the plant and how it is used, boron doesn’t move about all that quickly. As Erika Dowling, technical sales manager with Mosaic Company, explains in this Soil School episode, due to the slow mobility of boron… Read More
Whether you’re talking to financial advisors or agronomists, having knowledge and data about your farming operation is key. Digging a soil pit is a great way to see what exactly you’re dealing with below the surface. On this episode of the Soil School, we are joined by Ken Wall, a grow team advisor with Federated Co-operatives… Read More
Building organic matter, soil health, 4R nutrient management, and profitability are all part of the crop production puzzle Bill Ungar and the team at Sandy Shore Farms is piecing together on the sandy north shore of Lake Erie. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Soil School, Ungar, Sandy Shore’s agronomy manager, shares how the family-owned farm and vegetable… Read More