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Tag Archives crop rotation — page 2

Moving more land into hay and pasture can make organic transition easier.
Crops, News

Hay and forage can help ease organic transition

A program in eastern Ontario aims to help farmers going through the three-year period before certification

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Having a plan for making money from either hay or pasture can significantly ease the financial strain of transitioning from conventional to organic production. That was one message delivered by Semican seed company agronomist Valerie Yoder, during a presentation Jan. 25 at the annual Guelph Organic Conference. Why it matters: Certified organic crops offer a […] Read more
It’s likely to be years until we have a completely solid set of best practices for managing soils.
News

Editorial: Still lots to know about mechanisms of soil health

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The maintenance of soil health has come into much greater prominence in the past five to 10 years. That’s an important step — our soils are the basis of civilization and those that have not understood that have had civilizations collapse. Check out the Nile River delta today. We’re a long way from the lack […] Read more
Brian Hyland, ESCIA president, left, Richard Paquette, his father Robert Paquette and Michael Dick representing Essex Region Conservation Authority were part of the presentation of the Conservation Farm Award to the Paquette family.
News

Paquette Farms wins conservation award

Farm uses minimal-impact tillage and pays attention to precision nutrient application

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A dedication to low-soil-impact practices won Paquette Farms the 2019 Conservation Farm Award. The family was presented with the award at the Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association (ESCIA) Annual Meeting in December. The award is presented each year to the farming operation which best displays conservation-minded farming practices from those nominated. The farms are […] Read more
Reduced beef production in Ontario has resulted in less land planted to hay.
Crops, Livestock

Ontario producers told to make way for hay

More forage in a crop rotation helps improve soil health

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Glacier FarmMedia – Ontario farmers are being told they need to get back into hay production. “We want farmers to consider hay production as a complement to row crop and cash crop production to renew soil,” said Fritz Trauttmansdorff, a farmer and founding member of the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative. Why it matters: Soil […] Read more
Yield, quality and stand persistence are the most important things about forage, an agronomist says.
Crops

A good forage stand requires agronomic base

Keys to success include planting at right time, proper seed bed, seed placement, quality seed and weed control

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Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers seeking to build a strong forage stand need to use proper crop rotations, fertility and water development, a forage agronomist told a recent Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association conference in Moncton, N.B. Peter Ballerstedt, with the seed company Barenbrug USA, said producers must pay attention to agronomy and make amendments before […] Read more
Sean Jordan of University of Guelph Environmental Sciences, pictured with lysimeter.
Crops, News

Interpretive centre heading into fourth season with lysimeters

Unique sensors help collect data points to determine soil health

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In 2016 the Soil Health Interpretive Centre installed 18 lysimeters to help measure data points within soil to understand soil health. The instalment is the biggest of its kind in North America. “There are 230 in the world and we have 18 of them,” says Sean Jordan, research technician with the School of Environmental Sciences […] Read more
Crops, News

Pest lessons learned in the 2019 Ontario crop year

Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of September 23

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We all agree that this has been one of the most challenging cropping years in Ontario, but there were some pest lessons learned from the experience. Effect of delayed planting Delayed planting can reduce the risk of some early season pests. Pests like bean leaf beetle (BLB) move into the earliest emerging fields first. With […] Read more
As corn yields rise, so does the need for more water.
Crops

Balance needed between crop rotation, profit and productivity

Simple rotations are easier, but long-term profitability may be tied to longer rotations

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Decreasing agricultural diversity could affect sustainability. “The trend is toward simplification of our systems with fewer crops dominating the landscape,” said Bill Deen of the University of Guelph. Why it matters: More diverse crop rotations can improve soil health while boosting yields and long-term sustainability. He and other scientists are studying the importance of longer […] Read more
Cover crops can help keep soil from getting too hot and too cool too quickly in the fall.
Crops

Keeping cool under cover a benefit of cover crops

American farmers use cover crops to moderate soil temperature

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Cover crops can positively affect a wide range of soil health characteristics. According to some American farmers, the ability of cover crops to moderate soil temperature is also important but less visually noticeable. Why it matters: Extreme soil temperatures limit biological activity. Keeping the ground covered helps moderate those swings, benefitting crops. According to Adam […] Read more
A rye crop is roller crimped before organic soybean planting.
Crops

Riding the learning curve on organic no-till

Farmers are pushing the boundaries of roller-crimping winter rye and direct seeding soybeans behind

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Planting soybeans into a just-terminated cover crop of winter rye is gaining popularity among Ontario’s organic community, as farmers strive to introduce minimum-till strategies into their rotations. No-till planting has so far not become common in any other crops under organic production — in which farmers typically rely upon tillage instead of chemical inputs to […] Read more

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