Ahh, the wonders of healthy soil. From water-holding capacity, pest and disease regulation, to nutrient cycling and physical stability, a robust and resilient soil gives farmers a huge advantage in crop production. But what makes a healthy soil? How can we measure its fitness and whether it’s in top farming shape? That’s a question soil… Read More
Category: Soil Health
On many topics, we can require some convincing on what the right move is. Does a fungicide pass make sense? Can I fully move to zero-till? Will managed grazing be worth the investment? Too often we rely on anecdotes and personal experiences, but it can because that’s all there is to draw from. Solid data,… Read More
Soil is alive and full of billions (yes billions) of fungi, bacteria, protozoa and more, performing key soil functions such as nutrient cycling, creating pores, and adding stability to soil structure. But how much do we understand of our soils? And can we take steps to love these good bugs and get rid of the… 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
Climate change is a hot topic of discussion to the chagrin of some industries and the excitement of innovators. Agriculture is an industry at the centre of much of the climate action talk, with an expectation to evolve and adapt. This year agriculture in Saskatchewan was on stage at COP27, the United Nations’ climate change… Read More
The way we farm is continuously changing, through knowledge-transfer, new technology, and innovation. How farmers take care of farms and the land required to raise livestock and produce grain is changing too — for the better. Soil health may have become a bit of a buzzword in recent years, but that’s not to diminish its… 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
Syngenta has announced a new soil health mapping service called Interra Scan. The service, which offers precision soil analysis to help growers and agronomists with crop nutrition and soil health decisions, will be initially available to continental and Eastern European growers. Interra Scan has a key Canadian connection — the soil scan begins with Tavistock,… 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
Due to last year’s extreme drought across many areas, straw was at a premium which may have tipped the scales in favour of baling for some producers. This year, much of the Prairies are in a different situation and farmers may be hurting themselves in the long run if they choose to bale off straw… 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
Crop residue is a real conundrum: not enough, and soil is vulnerable to wind and water erosion; too much, and the next crop suffers. Corn residue in particular can cause some real headaches for the subsequent soybean crop. To talk about why that is, and how to manage it, we go to experts Horst Bohner… Read More
Soil health has certainly gained more attention and become a higher priority when it comes to farming practices, but it remains a very personal idea, depending on who you talk to and where you are. While the results and practices may look similar, the definition of success when it comes to soil health can differ… Read More