Dave and Carolyn Biesenthal reflect on how it felt to be accused of water contamination, the cause of the Walkerton Water Crisis.
Tag Archives nutrient management
‘It still hurts. You never forget.’
Dave and Carolyn Biesenthal reflect on the Walkerton water crisis 25 years later
Dutch farmer separates nitrogen from manure to fertilize crops
Process reduces manure hauling, produces usable heat and electricity for Dutch farm
Ton Groot Roessink milks about 200 cows near Baak, using robots, automated feeding and automated manure cleaning. Manure from the farm is put through a biogas digester. The methane is burned to produce electricity and heat for the farm.
Europe’s manure mathematics frustrate farmers
Strict rules limit nitrogen application depending on the form it takes when applied
Trucking manure is part of the strange nitrogen mathematics used in Europe as it attempts to balance nutrient use and penalizes manure based only on its nitrogen effect, without considering other nutrients, soil organic matter and biological benefits.
FCC announces new 4R incentive
The program is open to FCC customers who use AgExpert platform
FCC announced the new Sustainability Incentive Program at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon. The program is open to FCC customers who put a 4R nutrient management plan in place, record production activities through AgExpert Field, and have their 4R practices verified by a 4R designated agronomist.
Province allocates $6 million towards restoring Great Lakes
The Ontario government is investing $6 million to support 30 multi-year projects to help protect, conserve and restore the Great Lakes. Funding was announced July 17 by David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, at Kaiser Lake Farms in Greater Napanee. Piccini said in a release the projects will improve water quality, reduce […] Read more
Reduced fertilizer emissions possible through incentives
Better application technology, more widespread 4R management and better understanding of nutrient availability are vital
Major reductions in fertilizer-based greenhouse gas emissions are possible through 4R nutrient management, according to research from the University of Guelph. However, such reductions require growers to understand what nutrients are already present in soil, what portion is likely to be available for crops in the growing season and the significance of overapplication. Support for […] Read more
Better nitrogen efficiency
A soil ecologist discusses nitrogen efficiency products and how they work
Nitrogen loss from leaching, atmospheric exposure, and soil runoff can be costly. However, there are products designed to minimize that loss. And according to Mario Tenuta, professor of applied soil ecology at the University of Manitoba, the stronger the product is, the better. Why it matters: Nitrogen is an expensive input on farms and with […] Read more
Nutrient management program gets new look
Agrisuite updates to better accommodate farmers
Agrisuite, Ontario farmers’ nutrient management software, will have a fresh new look come winter. Web browsers’ inability to support the aging software was the initial reason for the revamp, but the Agrisuite development team is taking the opportunity to advance, simplify and promote the program with funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Why it matters: […] Read more
Comparing banding to broadcasting fertilizer
Precision Planting research shows 50 per cent of corn P and N should be banded at planting
A team at technology/consulting company Precision Planting has completed research that compares banding fertilizer applications to broadcasting. Banding brings a higher yield potential. “The soil bank unreliably controls the fertilizer,” said Cory Muhlbauer at the 2019 Winter Conference put on by Precision Planting, referring to broadcast-applied fertilizers. When a grower broadcasts fertilizer on the soil […] Read more
Curiosity and care guide farm’s principles
The Chauvin farm takes a long-term view on measures like soil organic matter
The Essex Soil and Crop Improvement Association recently bestowed its 2018 Conservation Farm of the Year award to Maurice (Moe) Chauvin, a sixth-generation grain farmer from Pointe-aux-Roches (known as Stoney Point to Anglophones). The award is granted annually to a farm within Essex County that displays conservation-minded management practices. For Chauvin, adopting such practices starts […] Read more
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