Farmers in Ontario grow soybeans that yield about 50 bushels per acre. Sean Conley, Wisconsin’s state soybean extension specialist, says the yield potential is 120 bushels. The differences are about the same in the United States and Conley set out to use some large data sets to figure out why. The answer? Not every field, […] Read more
Tag Archives Soil — page 15
Soil management can boost soybean yield to full potential
A big data project in the U.S. has yielded precise information on soil zones and crop management decisions
Small investments, big gains
Where to start with free and low-cost precision ag tools – and why
For producers looking to dip their toes into the precision agriculture pool for little cost and potentially substantial rewards, help is here. The big advantages precision agriculture can provide are mostly well-known. In short, information is power. Why it matters: There are some lower-cost entry points into precision agriculture for farmers who want to try […] 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
Denys, Verhallen named 2019 soil champions
A farmer and an OMAFRA soils expert are being recognized for trying new practices to improve soil health
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
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
Looking for machinery compaction data
Ontario team working to establish tire inflation guidelines
Preventing soil compaction is something farmers should keep in mind, particularly with the scale of modern farm equipment. At Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock, Ont., Alex Barrie, engineer in training with the Ontario Environmental Management Branch, demonstrated his group’s efforts to study the impact equipment can have on the soil. They have been conducting […] Read more
Opinions differ on quinoa prices in 2019
CNS Canada — There are opposing views on what will happen with Canadian quinoa prices in 2019. One buyer believes the specialty crop will increase a few cents per pound; another believes the price will slightly decrease in the New Year. Dan Boulton of NorQuin at Saskatoon said there is a world shortage of quinoa, […] Read more
Donation to boost soil health outreach
Donors aim to make sure best soil health information reaches farmers
The University of Guelph marked World Soil Day by announcing a $500,000 donation for soil health outreach in Ontario. The donation was made by Lillie Ann Morris, who has worked for more than four decades in agricultural advertising sales, Glacier FarmMedia, publisher of Farmtario and the agricultural division of information communications company Glacier Media Inc., […] Read more
Making technology work for healthier soil
Farmers have to make decisions on which soil-health technologies they want to adopt
Building and maintaining soil health increasingly involves technology. The challenge for farmers is deciding which approach they invest in to monitor and maintain their soil health. Three different approaches using technology to solve soil health problems were presented at the Grey County’s third annual Ag 4.0.2 conference held Nov. 1, 2018 in Meaford. Why it […] Read more
New soil test can be tied to yield
Feeding soil microbes comes from feeding plants, says A & L Labs research
Imagine being able to predict yield just from a soil health test. A & L Labs in London believes it has found a way to do so, with 93 per cent accuracy. Greg Patterson, CEO of A & L Labs, said while announcing the new VitTellus Soil Health test at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show that […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
