Better together. That's a simple way to describe what happens when micronutrients and biostimulants join forces to alleviate plant stress. In this report from the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s MicroSmart Deep Dive meeting in Kingston, Ont., Agro-100 research and development director Pierre Migner and RealAgriculture's Bernard Tobin explore the biostimulant-micronutrient connection and how... Read More
Category: Soil
Tracks certainly don't eliminate compaction, and they usually cost substantially more than wheels, but research at The Ohio State University shows there are several specific applications where tracks offer a productivity or yield advantage in the old tracks-versus-wheels debate. Scott Shearer of The Ohio State University stopped by to chat following his presentation on compaction... Read More
The Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food (CANZA) views itself as an organization that sits somewhere in the matrix of quantifying soil carbon, working with farmers, and connecting supply chain players. Nick Betts, managing director of CANZA, says that the alliance emerged out of a need to connect different points in the value chain. It aims... Read More
Manure has been used as fertilizer for a very long time; however, with the advent of fewer mixed farms and access to commercial fertilizer, which is easier to transport and often easier to apply, nearly all farmers have moved away from using manure as the primary source of fertilizer on their operations. That being said,... Read More
In spring 2021, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) announced funding to expand its Living Labs initiative to every province. Today, organizations tasked with connecting farmers, scientists, and other stakeholders to advance sustainable, environmentally friendly on-farm practices and technologies are starting to see preliminary results. One such organization is Food Water Wellness Foundation in Alberta. Kim... Read More
Ontario's relatively youthful soils are less prone to micronutrient deficiencies, but there are situations where soil characteristics can lead to low levels of key micros in farm fields, says University of Guelph associate professor Dr. John Lauzon. Speaking at the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s MicroSmart Deep Dive meeting in Kingston, Ont., Lauzon noted... Read More
When it comes crop nutrition, the macronutrients dominate both the management discussion and the fertilizer bill. That focus is certainly justified as primary macronutrients — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium — play a critical role in ensuring a successful crop. Farmers are also rewarded when they pay attention to secondary macronutrients, including sulphur, calcium and magnesium.... Read More
Grandmother's garden is often the first place that children learn about the benefit of having worms in the soil. They learn from an early age that you don't throw worms away, you put them back into the ground where you found them, says Mike Launer of Annelida Soil Solutions. Annelida has created a business out... Read More
A successful, high-yielding crop at harvest relies heavily on the weather, particularly moisture levels. Too much moisture increases the risk of disease, while too little causes the crop to dry out and lose yield potential. Crop Intelligence aims to help growers make agronomic decisions based on what the environmental conditions are at the crop level,... Read More
There's a noticeable gap on the Ontario winter farm conference calendar for 2025, as the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) has now confirmed that it will not be hosting its annual conference in February. The IFAO has a long history in the province and is synonymous with the adoption of no-till and good soil... Read More