How can you build soil organic matter? How long does it take and what's the impact on yield? University of Guelph researcher Laura Van Eerd and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) soil management specialist Anne Verhallen tackle these questions in this 2021 Ontario Diagnostic Days video report. The researchers visit Van... Read More
Category: Agronomy
With new money flowing to GFL Environmental, Bio-Cycle Solutions is taking on a new name — GFL Ag — to more accurately reflect its purpose of supplying farmers with crop nutrient products. GFL Ag will continue to turn leftover food into fertilizer products for farmers, the company says, bringing organic materials full circle so they... Read More
This just in! There are strange markings showing up on spray nozzles all over Canada. What could these numbers and letters possibly mean? It's time for the long-awaited next instalment of Exploding Sprayer Myths with Jason Deveau and Tom Wolf of Sprayers 101. Acting as their alter-egos, Chuck Underhand and Tip Heavily, the dynamic duo... Read More
Ruts are compaction we can see, but what about the yield-robbing compaction you don't see? What can we do to prevent compaction, and how do we manage already-compacted ground? For this episode of The Agronomists, host Lyndsey Smith is joined by compaction action gurus Jodi Dejong-Hughes, extension specialist with the University of Minnesota, and Ian... Read More
What should the future of Canada's seed industry look like? How should new varieties be funded and brought forward? Described by some as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently leading consultations on modernizing the rules around plant breeding and how new varieties are brought to the market. Seeds Canada and other... Read More
Often thought of as an Ontario crop, some Manitoba farmers are showing an increased interest in growing food-grade soybeans. What does it take to grow identity-preserved beans? For that answer, we go to Sandy Hart, business manager at Sevita International. Food-grade soybeans are a premium product and require extra care and attention from planting, in... Read More
Of course we're in for six more weeks of winter, Groundhog, we live in Canada! You know what else you can expect for the next six weeks (and longer)? Wheat Pete's Word! On this week's episode, host Peter Johnson explores many topics, including some shifting thinking on sulphur, how nitrogen fertilizer can acidify soil, and... Read More
The science supporting what we know and don't know about soil health, nutrient cycling, and soil microbes builds every year. Not long ago, much of the soil management narrative focused on keeping soil covered (don't farm naked!) to minimize erosion risk and build soil. Now we know that while preventing or at least decreasing erosion... Read More