How Old Is Our Dirt?

What’s older than dirt? Lots of things, if you’re talking about Manitoba soils. In our province, the story began 10,000 to 12,000 years ago, after massive glaciers bulldozed the uppermost layers away, then melted to create the ancient Lake Agassiz. In terms of world history, that’s not a long time. Egyptian civilization goes back almost

Cover Crops Go Beyond Nitrogen

Like spending money to make money, some North Dakota grain producers are using soil nutrients to grow a soil-building cover crop. They have found seeding a diverse plant community or “cocktail” as a cover crop can do much more than put nitrogen into the soil. At a soil health workshop in Plumas sponsored by Mani


Soil Test For Success

“Maybe your banker sets soil fertility rates for your farm.” – JOHN HEARD If 80 per cent of Manitoba farmers aren’t soil testing their fields, how do they know how much nutrients to apply at the start of every growing season? That’s anybody’s guess, according to a MAFRI soil fertility specialist. “The last survey done