DIY Soil Health Tests You Can Do On The Farm
Slake, Infiltration and Bulk Density (BD) are 3 tests that are fairly easy to do on the farm with a few simple tools.
There is No Great Crop Without a Great Start
One of the biggest challenge’s producers face with growing crops at or near the 49th parallel is generally they only get one shot at growing our best crops. We have to maximize the use of limited sun and moisture to get our crops to maturity in a 3-4 month span. It does not give a lot of time to make corrective actions like reseeding or topdressing nutrients when needed.
Looking Back to Move Forward
To find out which direction we should be headed in terms of soil health we should look back to how it was.
A recipe for an 80 bu canola crop
Wouldn't it be great if all the inputs, machinery and/or farming practices that promise to grow you an extra 2-5 bu were true and reliable? It would be easy to spend your way to a bumper crop. 2 bushels here, 3 bushels there... done deal! Unfortunately, it is not a compounding effect.... it's probably easier to spend your way broke than into prosperity.
Where is your time best spent?
I have worked with operations both big and small, with different management structures and business philosophies. The one thing they all had in common? They all sought the help of professionals.
Soil Carbon – What is it and how do we measure it?
Last week we looked at the important role of soil carbon in plant growth and soi [...]
Know Your Numbers
Farm managers today face increasingly difficult decisions as operations grow and margins tighten. Knowing your numbers helps you make better decisions that ultimately reduce the stress and fear of making a costly mistake.
Building Soil Carbon on Your Farm
Many practices, such as reduced tillage, increased residue coverage and improved crop rotations, have been incorporated in the last fifty years that have lowered the loss of carbon, and farmers need to continue this trend to encourage healthy and resilient soils.
