Senator Rob Black speaks at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in September of 2024. Photo: Diana Martin

Black tables soil health protection bill in Senate

Legislation would recognize soil as a strategic national asset

Senator Rob Black sponsored Bill S-230, An Act Respecting the Development of a National Strategy for Soil Health Protection, Conservation and Enhancement. If passed, it would mandate the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and other relevant ministers, to develop a national soil health strategy.


Marla Reikman, of Manitoba Agriculture.

Reduce the risk of adopting farm sustainability

Canadian farmers are told that sustainability practices will be good for both them and the environment, but adopting those practices comes with financial risk that industry says must be addressed if farmers in general are going to jump on boardMany new ideas come with inherent risk, and mitigating that risk is key to adoption

Canadian farmers are told that sustainability practices will be good for both them and the environment, but adoption comes with financial risk that industry says must be addressed if farmers in general are going to jump on board.



Soybean pods fill near Selkirk, Man., in late August, 2024.

Dry fields? Watch when you roll soybeans

Waiting until soybean crops are out of the ground to roll may help keep the dirt in the field where it belongs in a dry year

Waiting until soybean crops are out of the ground to roll may help keep the dirt in the field where it belongs in dry conditions.



Soil health and cover crops were the focus of a western Manitoba farm tour in 2019.

Soil health survey keys in on farmer voice

The Soil Health Network says their new survey is meant to keep farmers in the driver’s seat when it comes to adopting on-farm practices

The Soil Health Network says their new survey is meant to keep farmers in the driver’s seat when it comes to adopting on-farm practices.

A grain cart and combine at work on a soybean field in Manitoba’s Pembina Valley region.

Supersized grain carts a weighty problem for soil compaction

Larger grain carts and combines make for a more efficient harvest, but they also come with soil health implications if the extra weight causes soil compaction

Grain carts can still cause serious soil compaction whether they’re on tracks or wheels, but tracks may impact crop yield less in poor field conditions.


Organic farmers do not soil test as much as conventional farmers do, but it’s important to understand the nutrient levels in all soils used for crop production.

Organic farms need soil testing too

Organic farmers should take a lesson from conventional farming when it comes to testing for soil nutrients and benchmarking fields frequently: University of Manitoba researcher

Organic farmers should take a lesson from conventional farming when it comes to testing for soil nutrients and benchmarking fields frequently: University of Manitoba researcher

Photo: Getty Images.

Cropland threatened by toxic metals: study

Up to 17 per cent of agricultural land at risk

Up to 17 per cent of cropland around the globe is contaminated by toxic metals, threatening agriculture and human health in the affected areas, according to new research published in the journal Science.