Ontario-based tillage equipment manufacturer Salford Group, Inc. has acquired a Georgia, U.S.-based company that makes spreaders for the agriculture, poultry, turf and construction industries. The deal to buy BBI Spreaders closed on October 2nd. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. "BBI is a great fit for us because they come to the market... Read More
Category: Soil
Nature is cruel. Or, put another way, nature is perhaps the most fair — she, if we can call it a she, cares very little as to the outcome of any change in the environment. There is a consequence to every action, but nature doesn't judge what is good and what is bad. It just... Read More
Do you put down starter fertilizer with your winter wheat? If not, Peter Johnson, cereal specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, wants to know what you're waiting for. "We've done a whole bunch more analysis of the (trial) data...and if you have a low soil test and don't apply phosphorus... Read More
Technology has brought us leaps and bounds forward in regards to renewable fuel, to the point where the focus is shifting to biomass as a fuel source instead of grain, helping to cool the food vs. fuel debate. But biomass is also critical to soil health and stability, as roots provide much-needed soil anchoring and... Read More
The concept of nitrogen fixation in cereal crops is getting some mainstream attention after a trio of 16 year-olds from Ireland won an international prize for their work with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in wheat, barley and oats. The prizes for the 2014 Google Science Fair — the world's largest science competition for teenagers — were handed... Read More
From afar – and maybe even up close -- it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on in environmental hot spots, such as Alberta’s oilsands, despite oil company ads that tell everything is coming up roses. But agriculture needs to pay more attention to oilsands. Here's why. It’s hard to separate agriculture and the environment,... Read More
Here's a fun question: what nitrogen recommendations do you follow? Do you vary it by crop type or by field, ie. do you have a "canola blend"? Do you use tried-and-true removal rates compared against a current soil sample analysis? Or do you work backwards from a target yield? No matter which way you currently... Read More
Do you know the most likely way your farmland loses nitrogen? (Now would be a great time to review all the ways N evades being used by the plant. Check out the image in this post). Why does this matter? For one, putting down fertilizer that's simply lost to the water or air is just... Read More
Water walks, not runs, off Seth Watkins' farm. That's the first of three principles Watkins uses to guide the agronomic decisions he makes on Pinhook Farms, based in Iowa. Watkins, who raises corn, soybeans and cattle across several counties in Iowa, spoke recently at the World Congress on Conservation Agriculture to share his experience with... Read More
What limits yield on your farm? Too much water? Not enough? Low soil nutrient levels? Not enough heat? At least one scientist will tell you it's none of the above — the most limiting factor for crop production in North America is actually soil carbon. "Our soils are starved for carbon," says Kristine Nichols, a... Read More