A series of three meetings were jointly held last week led by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) and Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The purpose of the meetings was to discuss grazing livestock and their role in building a sustainable food supply system. The meetings and consultations were held in preparation for the United Nations… Read More
Plant Response, Inc., a biologicals focused company headquartered at Raleigh, N.C., recently announced its acquisition of WISErg. WISErg is a Seattle-area startup that has created a system for upcycling nutrients from food scraps. The nutrients can then be used in fertilizer and nutrient efficiency products that can enhance plant and soil health. The company has… Read More
The recently announced Bill C-290, the Soil Conservation Act, has many steps to pass through before becoming an act. The premise of the bill — supporting efforts to create a national soil health strategy, that soil is the foundation for sustainable food production, enhanced biodiversity, cleaner air and water, and are at the root of… Read More
One concern this spring is whether or not there’s enough moisture to get a crop going, but another common springtime concern is that of compaction. Compaction is a risk every time you drive on a field, but the severity of compaction depends on where soil moisture is in the soil profile. “You can’t compact a… Read More
Member of Parliament and NDP ag critic Alistair MacGregor has introduced Bill C-290, a Private Member’s bill titled the Soil Conservation Act. Citing the importance of soil as an essential resource to society and that healthy soils are the foundation of sustainable food production, MacGregor proposes the bill support the establishment of a national soil… Read More
The right source, right rate, right time, right place for nutrients adds up to more efficient use of fertilizer dollars, and keeps nutrients in the fields and out of our water and air. On this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by Don Flaten, recently retired professor of soil fertility at University of Manitoba,… Read More
Her twitter handle is @MBsoilsleuth for a reason. Our guest for today’s RealAg LIVE! is a soil management specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development. Marla Riekman joins our host Kara Oosterhuis to talk about all things soil compaction, what happens if a downpour arrives at a super dry soil, fertility in a dry year,… Read More
For decades, soybean acreage has increased in Canada and has been internationally fuelled by growing world demand for the oilseed crop. Soybeans have also proven to be a friend to farmers, making a profitable contribution to the bottom line and adding another cropping option to diversify and extend rotations. But what happens when farmers plant… Read More
The organizers of conferences on soil health, grazing, and regenerative agriculture are joining forces to offer a one-stop-shop of events and activities. The Western Canada Conference on Soil Health and Grazing, Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC), and Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) have connected their annual events and organizational activities via a jointly-signed memorandum of… Read More
A word that continues to surface when carbon offsets come up is permanence. The idea that longevity in the practices implemented in order to generate or claim carbon offsets needs to be defined. Dr. Mario Tenuta, professor of applied soil ecology in the department of soil science at University of Manitoba, says that it’s a… Read More
A two-year pilot project that will demonstrate grasslands’ carbon-storing power was announced last week by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association. The project is a follow-up to a previous one, run through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Agriculture Greenhouse Gases program. “We developed the first carbon offsets protocol applicable to Canadian grasslands,” says Cedric MacLeod, executive… Read More
Saskatchewan farm organizations, the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, and Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SSCA) are encouraging farmers to participate and provide feedback on the federal government’s proposed Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System regulations. A coalition of farm groups are uniting to have Saskatchewan farmers are recognized and compensated for their carbon sequestration efforts, including… Read More
The federal government announced its draft regulations for a national carbon offset framework, and while the kinks still need to be worked out, the first protocol that is intended to proceed is for soil organic carbon. As such, I’ve been working to lay out what this may entail and why carbon sequestration may not be… Read More
With the federal government releasing details on its planned carbon offset system soon, soil organic carbon will be a key measurement, and one to pay close attention to going forward. So far, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau sees the planned carbon offset system creating an opportunity for farmers to receive credit — and… Read More
First off, predictive soil mapping takes the information from the soil surveys in the 80s and 90s that were limited by technology, and improves the resolution of the generated maps and overlays polygons digitally, that contain more soil information. “Instead of knowing each polygon has three or four different soil types, you actually have an… Read More
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