Cover crops can be a non-starter in dry areas of the Prairies — or are they? A lack of moisture is definitely a concern when working to establish cover crops; however, over the long term, farmers Derek and Tannis Axten of Axten Farms at Minton, Sask., are finding covers build soil water holding capacity. That’s… Read More
Category: Cover Crops
A good portion of Ontario is nearing the end of what has been a very mild winter. Bare and sometimes thawed ground has many farmers asking if it’s too early for clover, for frost seeding, for tillage, and for patching in wheat crops. There’s also a saying that goes, “just because you can doesn’t mean… Read More
Pop quiz: does water vapour insulate, and do cover crops cost yield? The answers: yes, and sometimes. To dive into to how cover crops might cost in yield potential but still save fuel, Peter “Wheat Pete” Johnson kicks off another episode of the Wheat Pete’s Word podcast. Also on the episode: how a milder winter… Read More
Cover crops are not magic. It’s important to first understand the goal of using a cover crop and then measuring up each species and season to see if it’s a match. Farmers from east to west are using cover crops to accomplish several things: reducing erosion, cycling nutrients, fixing nitrogen, and fighting weeds, but that… Read More
Sweat the details and practice, practice, practice. It may sound like gridiron football strategy but it will also make farmers winners in the battle to improve soil health, says North Dakota-based independent agronomist and crop consultant Lee Briese. When it comes to improving soil health there are plenty of fixes — from reducing tillage to… Read More
Healthy soils can be a crops’s best friend when the weather turns extreme. If it’s too dry, a healthy soil with high water-holding capacity can capture, store, and deliver critical moisture to growing plants; if it’s too wet that same soil will play a key role in transporting excess water down through the soil profile… Read More
Putting cover crops to work on Randy Tkachyk’s farm means keeping soil covered, growing winter feed for cattle, and providing grazing opportunities for those cattle well in to the fall. Tkachyk grows a diverse cover crop mix on his farm near Sundown, Man., as a means to manage risk against the growing season. A 15-way… Read More
Potato farmers on Prince Edward Island have increased their use of cover crops dramatically over the last five years. PEI farmers have been measuring the growth and impact of cover crops through participation in Living Lab — Atlantic, a four-year innovation project on the island that involves researchers and industry stakeholders. Living Lab data shows… Read More
Mention farm drainage and the environment in the same sentence and you’ll likely end up in a discussion on the pros and cons of moving water for the purpose of agriculture production. In the final episode of RealAgriculture’s Talking Tile series, Land Improvement Contractors of Ontario executive director Mel Luymes looks at the benefits of… Read More
James Hammerton is looking for innovative ways to increase crop production efficiency. Hammerton, who farms with his family at Sweaburg, Ont., first appeared on The Sharp Edge in 2020 to share how he uses a stripper header to harvest and prepare wheat fields for double crop soybeans. In 2023, he returns to the program with… Read More