Kerry Wright has been appointed the new executive director of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.
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Tag Archives crop rotation
Kerry Wright named new executive director of OSCIA
She has held key positions with organizations such as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, CAAIN, and Mallot Creek Group
Feds invest in research to promote more diverse crop rotations
The federal government is investing $5,733,852 million in funding to advance soybean, corn and oat research and promote diverse crop rotations. “The investment of $5.7 million will help grain producers in Ontario and across the country keep their businesses strong and competitive,” Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield said at the funding announcement at Woodrill Farms Ltd. […] Read more
Rotational advantages
More is uncovered about the long-term benefits of crop rotation
It’s one thing to have research projects geared to the long-term effects of crop rotation, but it’s quite another to have research data that stretches across a wide geographic area, allowing for more useful predictions. Amélie Gaudin has been following the results from long-term studies on rotational diversity since earning her PhD from the University […] Read more
Corn Rootworm trapping study will encourage crop rotation
Results show corn rootworm pressure highest in counties with corn on corn rotations
Corn fields in two southwest counties and one in the east are at the highest risk in Ontario of hosting Bt-resistant corn rootworm (CRW), according to results from a first-year, grower-led beetle trapping project funded in part by Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). Tracey Baute, entomologist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural […] Read more
Small grains in the mix can pay dividends
EFAO session explores benefits of having small grains in crop rotation
The benefits of adding small grains to a crop rotation were explored Dec. 1 in the first of a five-part series hosted by the Ontario version of the federally supported Living Labs Project. The “Innovations in Small Grains” session featured Ontario farmers Greg Vermeersch, Brett Israel and Joe Wecker and was co-hosted by the Ecological […] Read more
Finding the tools to build soil
Intensifying wheat production can help make the soil-building crop more profitable
Wheat and cover crops may not be the most profitable of cash cows, but the indirect benefits to grain growers’ bottom lines are significant. Keeping winter wheat in the rotation, that is, has been shown to consistently boost both corn and soybean yields in Ontario. Those numbers go even higher when red clover is also […] Read more
Lasting impact: The penalty of poor crop rotations
Long term trials show the soil health degradation of short rotations
This article is the first of a three-part series highlighting lessons learned from two long-term crop rotation experiments at Elora and Ridgetown, Ont. Howard Buffett authored a book a few years back with the title, “40 Chances”. The title came from a shop talk Buffett attended where a speaker remarked that the average farmer only […] Read more
Soil health measurement project seeks standard set of indicators
The North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements hopes to recommend scientifically sound indicators
Glacier FarmMedia – Soil health measurements can vary widely depending on management practices, show early results from a North American study. Paul Tracy, who manages the non-profit Soil Health Institute’s project to assess 31 indicators of soil health in all three countries, said agricultural and environmental interests are promoting lots of measurement systems and indicators. […] Read more
Study shows added benefits of wheat in rotation
Research shows corn, soy yield increase and N credit after wheat
A long-term study shows diverse crop rotations improve yields. Yet many farmers today grow strictly corn and soybeans, which has caused a decline in crop diversity and that is a major concern for Ontario producers. “It (corn-soybeans) is not really a crop rotation, it’s just an alternating crop sequence,” says Dave Hooker, assistant professor in […] Read more
The next step for cover crops
Researchers with long-term trials looking at productivity benefits
Long-term cover crop research is moving beyond the basics to more complex interactions between covers and row crops. Projects are now looking at how cover crops affect yield over several years, have an impact on crop quality and the value they could have if farmers get credit for reducing atmospheric carbon. Why it matters: Economically […] Read more
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