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
Tag Archives crop rotation — page 2
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
Editorial: Still lots to know about mechanisms of soil health
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
Paquette Farms wins conservation award
Farm uses minimal-impact tillage and pays attention to precision nutrient application
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
Ontario producers told to make way for hay
More forage in a crop rotation helps improve soil health
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
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
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
Interpretive centre heading into fourth season with lysimeters
Unique sensors help collect data points to determine soil health
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
Pest lessons learned in the 2019 Ontario crop year
Ontario Field Crop Report for the week of September 23
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
Balance needed between crop rotation, profit and productivity
Simple rotations are easier, but long-term profitability may be tied to longer rotations
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
Keeping cool under cover a benefit of cover crops
American farmers use cover crops to moderate soil temperature
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
Riding the learning curve on organic no-till
Farmers are pushing the boundaries of roller-crimping winter rye and direct seeding soybeans behind
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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