Lee Briese’s soil health principles build upon five pillars: soil armour, minimizing disturbance, diversity, continuous living roots, and livestock integration. “I don’t find these to be laws, commandments or requirements for soil health management,” he said. “These are nice guidelines to help guide some of the practices.” During a July webinar, the North Dakota crop […] Read more
Tag Archives soil health — page 4
Assessing strength, building on foundation key to soil health
Crop advisor says soil health options will vary by farm and by economics
Learning to read and react to biostrip till
Growers who use it do their best to make it work, especially for corn
Nick Stokman and Ian McDonald have more than 80 years of combined experience in farming, research and extension. Yet they’re relative newcomers to the practice of biostrip tilling, a means of replacing tillage implements with plants. It’s a complex regimen requiring constant adjustments and monitoring, but it definitely has its benefits, mostly when corn is […] Read more
A soil health investigation
It took old and new technology to diagnose compaction as the culprit
The soil on Ken Mitchell’s alfalfa and corn fields looked good on paper but the reality was less than stellar in terms of production. The 100-acre block was the focus of the Grey County Soil and Crop Improvement Association crop tour in late July. It looked at how marrying new technology with tried-and-true soil assessment […] Read more
Ontario’s new Living Lab to receive $12 million over five years
Projects focused on innovation and adoption of on-farm climate change practices
A new living lab is being created in Ontario with funding assistance from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Led by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), the project will see an investment of up to $9.2 million over five years from the federal government under the Agricultural Climate Solutions Living Labs program. Why it matters: The […] Read more
Evaluating your soil’s structure
Why it’s important and how to measure quality
Many Ontario soils display a similar pattern of compaction. The secondary tillage layer, usually the top two to four inches, is relatively loose and friable, with mostly small, rounded aggregates, especially earlier in the season before rains reconsolidate the soil. Below this layer is usually one that is significantly denser and more poorly structured. In the […] Read more
How to get the most from farm drainage investment
It comes from exploring the benefits of proper drainage
The search for every last advantage in a field often requires growers to step out of their comfort zone, whether that means considering precision agriculture applications, reduced tillage, lengthening rotations or adding cover crops. Improving field drainage can have significant benefits for soil health, the overall on-farm environment and increased crop yields. Effective drainage removes […] Read more
Senate study connects Canadians to soil health
Committee meetings could wrap by Christmas
The Canadian Senate is getting into the nitty gritty of Canadian soil health as a long-term study reaches the mid-point for witness testimonials. “It’s one of Canada’s most precious natural resources. Soil conservation is a top-of-mind matter for all of us in the agriculture and agri-food sector,” Senator Rob Black told the Christian Farmers Federation […] Read more
Ontario On-Farm Climate Action Fund supports projects on over 130,000 acres of farmland
The Ontario On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) allocated over $22 million in cost-share funding to successful applications during the 2022 and 2023 intake periods. The OFCAF provides cost-share funding to farmers to support the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) that tackle climate change through reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting increased carbon […] Read more
At Ag in Motion: New ‘Soil Champions’ team to promote soil health
'Societies live and die by soil'
A new group of “Soil Champions” has been formed to promote the benefits of soil health. This new committee — announced Wednesday at the Ag in Motion farm show at Langham, Sask. — will work to ensure the care and protection of Canada’s agricultural soil through education, knowledge transfer, forums for collaboration and other activities. […] Read more
Cover crop benefits clear, but hard to identify with data
Researchers say Roots Not Iron project shows value of cover crops to soil health, despite no immediate increase in organic matter
Farmers plant cover crops for a variety of reasons from weed suppression to erosion control and better soil structure. The increasing interest has seen researchers and growers partner to put data behind in-field observations. Roots Not Iron is one such initiative, designed to measure changes in soil health indicators in cover crop and cover crop-free […] Read more
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