The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) has named a farmer and a long-time supporter of soil health as its 2019 Soil Champions. The OSCIA made the announcement at its annual conference in Kingston in early February. Jim Denys is a Middlesex County farmer, producing pork farrow-to-finish while cropping corn, wheat and soybeans. He […] Read more
Tag Archives soil health — page 14
Denys, Verhallen named 2019 soil champions
A farmer and an OMAFRA soils expert are being recognized for trying new practices to improve soil health
Editorial: Long term investment vs. short term expense
The province recently released its first soil strategy. The long document talks about much of what we know now about soil health. It also talks about best management of soil health and highlights what some farmers are doing on their farms. But it skirts around the major barrier to adoption. Many farmers have yet to […] Read more
Province lays out soil health strategy
Measures aim to improve soil health over the next decade
The Ontario government’s soil health strategy is a sprawling plan that aims to provide industry guidance on improving soil health out to 2030. It plans to do that by bringing farm groups, government and agribusiness together to provide the drive to make change happen. Why it matters: Crop farming practices have changed in Ontario, with […] Read more
Canada’s soils still degrading, albeit more slowly
The rate of degradation of soils in Canada has slowed, but it still is happening at a significant rate and there is still a lot to learn. There are no soil-perfect systems yet for crop production, attendees at the Summit on Canadian Soil Health held recently in Guelph heard repeatedly. No-till farming has declined in […] Read more
OMAFRA seen needing a soil health ‘tuneup’
Ontario’s environmental commissioner is calling on the provincial ag ministry to rebuild its soil health expertise and find ways to encourage farmers to adopt soil-friendly production practices, to deal with what she calls a “catastrophic” loss in soil organic matter levels. The report recommends better soil carbon level monitoring and 10-year programs to financially encourage […] Read more
Soil health sensor project largest in North America
A new $2-million soil health research project aims to figure out the impact of different cropping systems on the environment. Research will also be conducted on crop productivity relating to soil health. The result should be new knowledge on productivity of traditional cropping systems versus those with cover crops. The project, at the new Soil […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
