Les Henry. (University of Saskatchewan video screengrab)

Prairie soil scientist and author Les Henry, 83

Henry's outreach to farmers spanned more than half a century

Glacier FarmMedia — Saskatchewan soil scientist Les Henry, well known for his work on improving Prairie farmland and his outreach to Prairie farmers in the pages of Grainews, has died. Ending a long fight with congestive heart failure, Henry died Friday in Saskatoon at age 83, having continued to write until very shortly before his

Ted Poyser was instrumental in bridging the gap between agriculture and conservation in Manitoba. Photo: University of Manitoba

Soil science pioneer honoured with lecture series

The first Ted Poyser Lecture in Soil Health launched at University of Manitoba is imminent

The University of Manitoba is about to launch a new lectureship named in honour of a man who helped bridge the divide between conservation and agriculture. The Ted Poyser Lecture in Soil Health will be hosted annually by the soil science department, and the inaugural event is scheduled March 13. Each year a speaker will be invited who


An artist’s rendering of the Prairie Crops and Soils Research Facility at the University of Manitoba. Photo: University of Manitoba

Feds, Manitoba pledge $6.4M to ag research facility

The new facility will modernize crop and soil research and training at the University of Manitoba

The Federal and Manitoba governments have thrown their weight behind development of a facility touted to become Canada’s pre-eminent resource for field crop research. “A great deal of our agriculture industry’s success comes from research and skill development,” said federal ag minister Marie-Claude Bibeau in a news release, Tuesday. Bibeau and Derek Johnson, Manitoba’s minister

Eight participants in the Manitoba Soil Science Society's drop-in tour Aug. 12 will be able to extract their own soil monolith for a $50 fee. Everyone must register to attend the tour and monolith extraction spots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Soil society modifies its Aug. 12 summer tour

Bus tour replaced with self-guided tour that requires registration

The Manitoba Soil Science Society (MSSS) has replaced its annual summer bus tour with an event Aug. 12 at three sites in rural Manitoba participants get to themselves, MSSS president Megan Westphal said in a recent email. The sites are near Elm Creek (Red River Clay), Haywood (Almasippi) and Bruxelles (Dezwood). Participation is free, however,

Angela Bedard-Haughn, shown here delivering a TEDx Talk in Saskatoon in September 2019, becomes the University of Saskatchewan’s new dean of agriculture in August. (Video screengrab from Ted.com)

New dean of agriculture named for U of S

Soil science prof Angela Bedard-Haughn takes over Aug. 15

One of Western Canada’s major post-secondary ag institutions will get a new hand at the wheel this summer. The University of Saskatchewan announced Wednesday it has named soil science professor Angela Bedard-Haughn as the dean for its College of Agriculture and Bioresources for a five-year term starting Aug. 15. Raised on a family farm in


Ray Archuleta (left) with his volunteers, (left to right): Mike Bennet, Tyson Dueck, Codie Dueck and Markus Dueck.

Spreading the word

Pioneers of regenerative agriculture speak in Rosa

In late January, U.S. conservation ag guru Ray Archuleta asked for four volunteers to come to the front of the room and help him with an experiment. Called the ‘slake test’ it was designed to demonstrate soil stability to the 100 attendees at a soil health workshop at the Shevchenko Ukrainian Centre in Rosa. Archuleta,

Wet enough for you?

Wet enough for you?

Bringing weather data into your crop planning decisions can be a powerful tool

If you want to know if you should top dress fertilizer in season, a great place to start is with just how much soil moisture is available. Knowing the answer to that question will tell you if there’s any opportunity still out there to be captured, says Ryan Hutchison, of South Country Equipment. South Country’s

People climb a dike formed by wind soil erosion during a field tour at the Global Forum on Soil Stewardship.

Soil degradation a costly global issue

About a third of the world’s soil is degraded, which has economic and food security implications

When Prairie-dwellers think of soil erosion, they may think of iconic photos from the Dirty ’30s: towering clouds of black soil blowing across desolate land, teacups turned upside down against drifting grit. But as Francis Zvomuya told the classroom of farmers and agronomists at the Global Forum on Soil Stewardship, soil degradation is far from


VIDEO: Soil stewardship event digs into soil health

VIDEO: Soil stewardship event digs into soil health

Foodgrains forum on soil conservation takes centre stage at Ian N. Morrison Research farm in Carman

Manitoba Co-operator reporter Geralyn Wichers talks with Dr. Francis Zvumoya (above) from the University of Manitoba’s Soil Science Department about soil degradation across the globe and what people in Manitoba are doing to support soil stewardship. Manitoba Co-operator reporter Geralyn Wichers talks with James Kornelson, Public Engagement Coordinator for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank about its

Comment: Can we bring back our soil?

Comment: Can we bring back our soil?

The Soil Conservation Council of Canada is calling for a united effort from the farming community, government and agriculture industry to make soil health a priority

If soil health isn’t top of mind for you, it should be. Canada has some of the world’s most viable and productive farmland. This farmland is where you make your living. It sustains our rural communities. It grows our food. While Canada is a world leader in improving our soils, further steps are necessary to