Chicago | Reuters – U.S. farm technology firm Indigo Agriculture on Wednesday said its carbon farming program has produced 20,000 tonnes in soil carbon credits that it will sell as emissions offsets to buyers including JPMorgan Chase JPM.N, Barclays BARC.L and The North Face. They are the first agricultural soil carbon credits to be verified […] Read more
Tag Archives soil health — page 8
Indigo Ag to roll out first tranche of farm soil carbon credits
P.E.I. seed potato producers backed for ‘soil-building’
Province puts up $3 million for BMP program
In an attempt to support its potato farmers following trade suspensions with the U.S. over potato wart, the government of Prince Edward Island plans to put up $3 million in new funding for a program that will help farmers shift to “soil-building crops.” “In our meetings with industry and the P.E.I. Potato Board, the need […] Read more
More research on variable landscapes required
While land varies widely across most farms, most research is done on uniform, relatively un-degraded plots
Glacier FarmMedia – The variation of farmland and the practices needed to restore it mean more research needs to be done on the landscape, not just in uniform plots, says one soil scientist. “Almost all of the scientific information on which we base our understanding has been generated on near-level, non-eroded landscapes,” said David Lobb. […] Read more
Comment: Better approach needed for soil health
Farmers need support from those who ask them to do more
Soil might seem like simple dirt to many people, but it is anything but simple for Canada’s food producers. It is foundational to putting food on tables in Canada and worldwide. Healthy soil can also boost production, fight climate change and promote biodiversity. However, for soil to deliver on its full potential, farmers must adopt […] Read more
New path to monitor soil carbon
Science Notes: Machine-learning methods meet soil hyperspectral data
Just how much carbon is in the soil? That’s a tough question to answer at large spatial scales, but understanding soil organic carbon at regional, national or global scales could help scientists predict overall soil health, crop productivity and even worldwide carbon cycles. Classically, researchers collect soil samples in the field and haul them back […] Read more
Soil testing complexity increasing
The future of soil testing includes better imaging, health indicators, and cost effectiveness
The days of single-sample field soil analysis are fading. What’s needed, say soil experts, are analysis tools that provide accurate representations of different management zones. Speaking at the recent Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) conference, Jonathan Zettler, agronomist and founder of Fieldwalker Agronomy Ltd., said soil testing tools should also be all-encompassing – that […] Read more
Grain growers share the best equipment changes they’ve made on-farm
Three farmers reveal top agronomic and efficiency improvements on their operations at IFAO conference
There’s always room for improvement when it comes to equipment design and setup, according to grain growers Warren Schneckenburger, Mark Burnham, and Chuck Baresich. Speaking during the 2022 Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario conference IFAO), each panelist detailed what large overhauls and small tweaks have made the most significant differences on their respective farms. Why […] Read more
Farmers test microbes to nourish crops as climate pressure grows, costs rise
Soil biologicals are getting a lot of attention and research money
Tech companies are raising hundreds of millions of dollars, including backing from agriculture heavyweights like Bayer AG, to develop farm products that use living things like microbes and seaweed to nourish crops and lessen the need for synthetic fertilizer. Microbes, including fungi and viruses, have been available for decades as treatments to protect plants from […] Read more
Watershed studies trickle down, but slowly
Vermont researchers testing flows from tens of thousands of acres in on-farm research program
Joshua Faulkner is a firm believer in the power of on-farm research to influence policymakers and agricultural practices. As program co-ordinator for the University of Vermont Extension Center for Sustainable Agriculture Farming and Climate Change, he says multiple-scale monitoring, evaluation and modelling from paired watershed studies and small-scale plots could guide state and federal policy […] Read more
ONFARM launches new data dashboard for Ontario soils
Project brings together extensive on-farm research data
A new online data dashboard launched by ONFARM allows the agriculture sector access to results from 25 trial sites across Ontario. The On-Farm Applied Research and Monitoring (ONFARM) applied research initiative has the task of monitoring, and modelling priority sub-watersheds, establishing in-field paired trials identifying soil health indicators and testing the effectiveness of best management […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
