Visible salt deposits coat the surface of a field in southern Manitoba after the 2024 melt.

Soil tests and salinity 

Soil test results are key when choosing salt-tolerant forages, and when it comes to salinity, there are a few quirks to remember

Producers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are asking plenty of questions about how to manage salinity in their soil. Jeff Schoenau, a soil science professor with the University of Saskatchewan, is among those fielding questions, although he says the amount of visible salinity in his province is “normal” for April. “I think probably folks are more

Marla Riekman during her presentation, 'The Science of Soil Salinity,' at Manitoba Ag Days on Jan. 18, 2024.

Why soil salinity is not a salt problem

If you have issues with soil salinity in your field you have a problem with water, not salt. That may be a challenge to wrap your head around at first as people naturally think of salt when they hear the word ‘salinity.’ But when the subject is soil salinity, Marla Riekman, soil management specialist  with