Agricultural soil science Archives - Page 12 of 27

Zambian farmer Wilfred Hamakumba and his wife Irene, have embraced herbicides as part of their conservation agriculture management. Over the past several years, the farm’s yields have more than doubled, their crops are more diversified and their farm has expanded in size. Irene is particularly pleased with their spraying program, saying it takes a lot less labour than weeding.

Can conservation agriculture save Africa’s soils?

Adoption rates are  slow, but it may be the continent’s best —  and last — hope

By Laura Rance-Unger March 13, 2015

It was the end of a very long day. We had travelled to remote areas on bad roads, walked barefoot across a flooding creek and hiked nearly an hour both ways to reach one of the three farmers we were scheduled to visit. We were on the trail of conservation agriculture (CA) success stories, and

Thomas Nkhunda, 37, has been using conservation agriculture on his plots for eight years.

Cereals, Crops, News

Dropping the hoe and doubling the yield

Minimum tillage  makes for dramatic improvements for this family in Malawi

By Laura Rance-Unger February 26, 2015

It’s raining, but that doesn’t stop Thomas Nkhunda from leading a group of visitors into his fields where he describes how he manages plots demonstrating the benefits of conservation agriculture. Rain isn’t unusual at this time of year. After all, it’s the rainy season in Malawi. What’s unusual is the fact that the rains they

man standing on crop research project field

Crops

Will it be chess or checkers?

A researcher explores different ways of sustainably playing the farming game

By Julienne Isaacs February 4, 2015

It was standing room only in the University of Manitoba’s Carolyn Sifton Lecture Theatre Jan. 21 for a seminar entitled “Conservation agriculture, organic farming and agro-ecology: the three musketeers of a sustainable food system.” “I try to do this every year because I want to give the graduate students permission to ask tough questions and

Row planting provides plenty of room for weeds to get off to a good start.

Cereals, Crops

Grid planting does a better job at shading out weeds says researchers

Now you just need to figure out how to plant that way

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff January 28, 2015

Planting corn and other crops in a grid rather than in rows may control weeds better, say scientists writing in the journal Weed Research. C. Marin of Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Colombia and J. Weiner of the University of Copenhagen report on two years of tests in which maize (corn) was sown in three

Crops, Opinion

Editorial: Changing how we think

By Laura Rance-Unger January 12, 2015

Back in the days when Prairie farmers were still in the experimental phase of adopting what is now known as conservation agriculture, I remember interviewing a farmer who had gone all the way and embraced zero tillage. He said it was an exercise in frustration bordering on failure until he realized the transition involved more

News

Weeds and weather woes included

A new card game aims to meld farming with fun, while teaching kids a little bit about  how agriculture works in Manitoba

By Shannon VanRaes January 9, 2015

Trevor Lehmann can’t say exactly what the cards have in store for him, but he hopes it’s something good. The international student adviser at the University of Manitoba has been a lover and creator of board and card games since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Now he hopes his latest creation called Crop Cycle

Opinion

Saline soils, plant growth problems linked to tillage practices

Research on saline soils underway, but at least one cause points to over-tilling

By Red River Basin Commission November 4, 2014

Here in the Red River basin, most fields in crop production are tilled one or more times each year, whether with cultivators, disks or deep tillers. The resulting fields look well cared for — good farming is often associated with well-tilled fields. In many places in the basin, however, farmers are noticing areas of fields

News

Agricultural Hall of Fame: Robert McNabb

Five new members of the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame were inducted July 17 at a ceremony  in Portage la Prairie. We’re featuring a new inductee each week

By Manitoba Co-operator Staff August 27, 2014

Robert (Bob) McNabb was born and raised on a farm at Minnedosa, Manitoba. He attended the University of Manitoba where he obtained a degree in agriculture, majoring in animal science. While at university, he took flying lessons and obtained his commercial flying licence. Following graduation, Bob spent eight years in northern Saskatchewan where he was

Forages, Opinion

Editorial: The third option

Trials have shown adding a perennial forage to your crop rotation can be effective weed control

By Laura Rance-Unger August 11, 2014

At a time when soil erosion is recognized as one of the biggest threats to the world’s ability to continue feeding itself, it’s disturbing to see weed scientists advising tillage to address invading “superweeds.” There is no question that addressing the lengthening list of weeds that have developed resistance to glyphosate must be a top

Martin Entz (centre) leads group on Glenlea tour. photos: meghan mast

Crops, Forages

Manure improves organic forage-grain crop production

‘Experimental lakes of agriculture’ find organic crops can produce on par with conventional crops

By Meghan Mast August 6, 2014

Organic crop producers can match the productivity of their conventional farming neighbours with a little help from some four-legged friends. Composted beef and dairy manure restores important nutrients that can be mined from the soil under organic management systems, Martin Entz, an agronomy professor with the University of Manitoba’s Glenlea research station told participants in

Daily Network News

Feed Grains Weekly: Good export demand pushing up domestic prices

Beef DNA testing now available in Canada

Domestic abuse survivors may need extra support when livestock is involved, experts say

Tag Archives Agricultural soil science