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Tag Archives Soil — page 4

Planning for better soil health requires a recognition of the many moving parts that make up soil fertility.
Crops

Confusion remains about soil health

Producers get mixed messages on what they should do to improve

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Soil health is a catch-phrase that has dominated the agri-food landscape for at least five years, but what does it mean? The term has been adopted, re-imagined and co-opted by countless individuals, organizations and groups, to support everything from organics to cover crops, reduced till or no till, carbon sequestration, sustainability and regenerative agriculture. Adding […] Read more
A greater focus on soil health and boosting yields is driving more interest in biologicals.
Crops, News

Biologicals look to solve pressing agronomic issues

Greater investment continues toward finding biological solutions

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Glacier FarmMedia – When it comes to technology, potential often outweighs practical, at least until an opportunity is created for the latter. At the Ontario Agriculture Conference earlier this year, a presentation on the promise of biologicals acknowledged their potential but called for continued verification. Although there are many products on the horizon, further research […] Read more
Jake Kraayenbrink developed the AgriBrink tire deflation system to reduce soil compaction from heavy equipment. After successful sales in Canada and Europe, he recently moved to Iowa to market the system in the U.S.
News

Passion for soil health drives Ontario innovator

On-farm innovation award winner has developed not one but two useful systems to help farmers

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Jake Kraayenbrink is passionate about soil health — so much so that he’s spent the better part of the past 15 years developing an innovative tire deflation system that helps farmers reduce soil compaction risks from heavy equipment. It’s on the market today in Canada, Europe, the U.K. and New Zealand under the AgriBrink brand. […] Read more
Dale Cowan says that at Growmark, biologicals are put under strict testing for efficacy and to date, the company has rejected 86 per cent of the 43 products it has tested due to lack of grower benefit.
Crops

The premise and promise of biological crop inputs

What’s relevant and what’s not in this fledgling branch of agri-food

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The search for alternatives to traditional agriculture inputs has greater urgency as commodities like fertilizer increase in price and decrease in availability. It’s not that nitrogen-use efficiency or the activity of mycorrhizal fungi was less of a concern years ago. But the list of products that can enhance soil health and potentially boost yield has […] Read more
Research could simplify process for calculating soil carbon credits
News

Research could simplify process for calculating soil carbon credits

Science Notes: Results indicate that expensive in-field soil sampling may not be required

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A study led by researchers at the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides new insights for quantifying cropland carbon budgets and soil carbon credits, two important metrics for mitigating climate change. The results, outlined in a paper published in the soil science journal Geoderma, could simplify the process for calculating soil carbon […] Read more
Low cost, real-time soil carbon quantification could be a game changer
Crops, News

Low cost, real-time soil carbon quantification could be a game changer

Two start-ups combine forces to provide farmers with better decision making on soil carbon

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A new partnership between two companies with technologies rooted in artificial intelligence is making carbon quantification more accessible, profitable and scalable for farmers and landowners. Quebec-based ChrysaLabs is an agtech startup that uses cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning for precision soil sampling in real time. It has teamed up with EarthOptics, a soil […] Read more
The prospect of having lower premiums could be an additional incentive to use practices which increase organic matter levels and avoid those that reduce it.
Crops, News

Should soil organic matter be a factor in insurance premiums?

Research has found higher organic matter reduces drought impact

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Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers may one day see lower crop insurance premiums if they have high levels of organic matter in their soil. A study by the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) found that farms with higher soil organic matter have better yields and lower crop insurance claims. In the region between Edmonton and Red Deer, AFSC […] Read more
The author writes that the findings and guidance for soil health from the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry needs to be strategic, and gives eight recommendations on how this can be achieved.
News

Opinion: Soil matters. Charting a path forward

Action is needed to preserve and improve soil health, but it must be strategic

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The following is an excerpt from a statement made by the author to the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (Status on Soil Health in Canada) meeting, Sept. 22. Since the Senate of Canada “Soil At Risk” report was conceived by Senator Herb Sparrow four decades ago, generally soil management has improved and crop […] Read more
Photo: File
Crops, News

Soil moisture more critical than rainfall to estimate climate impact

Science Notes: Evaporation, infiltration and runoff can result in dramatic differences

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You don’t need a PhD in agriculture to know that water is critical to crop production. But for years, people like Jonathan Proctor, who has a PhD in Agriculture and Resource Economics from the University of California Berkeley, have been trying to explain why the importance of water isn’t showing up in statistical models of […] Read more
Less tillage, more cover crops and targeted residue management are three themes in Denotter’s strategy to promote better soil health, and more profitable crops on his farm near Kingsville.
Crops, Machinery

Making money through better soil and water management

Living Labs event features Kingsville-area farmer’s winning strategies

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The heavy clay soils that characterize Henry Denotter’s farm can be hard to work with. But from a tillage perspective at least, he doesn’t have to work them too often.  From a production perspective, years of experimentation with equipment configurations, electronic tools and a strong environmental philosophy have brought success in no-till corn and soybeans […] Read more

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