Biological products, such as inoculants for pulses and soybeans, have been around a very long time, but the ever-expanding world of biological products now means that growers have options for hundreds of products that are supposed to do everything from stimulating root growth, to helping plants recover from hail, to fixing nitrogen. To help evaluate… Read More
Category: Soil Microbiology
Biologicals hold great promise for improving crop production. From increasing root activity, soil microbes, and nutrient availability to building plant resiliency to abiotic stresses — this emerging crop input segment is bursting with product choices. But for farmers, selecting which product and application is right for their acres can be a daunting and confusing task…. 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
Western Canadian soils are generally neutral to slightly basic in pH values. On average, there’s plenty of buffering capacity to the soil in the west but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pockets of acidic conditions. What’s more, research is proving out to show that long-term zero-till combined with applied fertilizers is creating an acidic area… Read More
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
New soil testing technology that goes beyond chemistry to analyzing soil biology will be available in Canada as the result of a new partnership between Taurus Agricultural Marketing and Iowa-based Trace Genomics. The two companies announced the partnership on Thursday (August 24). Trace’s metagenomics technology analyzes DNA in a soil sample, providing data on over… Read More
Earthworms are not just great for fishing bait, but also an indication of soil health. Or is that actually true? The origin of this topic popped into my head as I travelled across the Prairies last week shooting agronomic videos. At a couple stops the farmers referenced earthworm populations as an indication of soil health…. Read More
The Successors is a RealAgriculture podcast series hosted by Kara Oosterhuis focusing on agriculture from the perspective of the up-and-coming generation. How do you decide it’s time for a change? What does it take to become a better communicator? And why is it so crucial to not rule any opportunity out? Lara de Moissac, based… Read More
Working together towards a common vision is the driving force behind 3Gen Organics, one of the country’s biggest and most progressive family-run organic farming operations. On this episode of Profitable Practices, we visit with Brett Israel, near Wallenstein, Ont, to learn how three generations of the family have worked together to carve out a market… Read More
Four generations of innovation keeps you on your toes: and that’s exactly what Andrea Stroeve-Sawa loves about Shipwheel Cattle Feeders. In our debut episode of Profitable Practices, we head over to Taber, Alta. to shine a light on innovation and management practices Stroeve-Sawa and her family employ at their 5,500 head feedlot. Sponsored by Farm… Read More