Soil Archives - Page 27 of 46 - Manitoba Co-operator

Mario Tenuta speaks at the Manitoba Forage Seed Association’s annual conference in Winnipeg.

There’s life in that there dirt

Farmers need to be aware of the vast world beneath their feet — healthy plants depend on it

By Shannon VanRaes January 23, 2015

It just might be that the most important living beings on any farm aren’t found in the barn — but in the soil. Bacteria, mycorrhiza, fungi, nematodes and even earthworms are key to understanding and promoting plant growth, University of Manitoba soil scientist Mario Tenuta told the Manitoba Forage Seed Association’s annual conference in Winnipeg

Crops, Opinion

Dirt’s big year

The FAO has designated 2015 as the International Year of Soil

By Alan Guebert January 12, 2015

Last year may have been a lot of things to a lot of people but one thing it surely wasn’t was predictable. I mean who foresaw last year’s record-setting high in the U.S. stock market, the plunge in global crude oil prices, Russia’s naked grab of Ukraine’s sovereign territory or the Obama administration’s reaching out

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

Crops, Weather

Struggle to rebuild pasture after the flood(s)

One farmer tells his story and talks about how he restored his forage and feed acres

By Meghan Mast January 7, 2015

Just days after Tom Teichroeb moved his cattle onto higher land his pasture flooded. Already in mid-May of 2011, the water was starting to rise near his Langruth ranch. Some of the cattle had to swim to get across to the dry hayfield before they were moved 12 miles across the highway to a rented

The SMAP satellite will use active and passive radioactive waves to measure soil moisture.

Local news

Not your average soil moisture-measuring project

A satellite that measures soil moisture expected to launch in January

By Meghan Mast January 5, 2015

If you Google “SMAP” two things will come up — a Japanese boy band from the ’90s and a NASA satellite project that will attempt to measure soil moisture on a global scale. The latter is the subject of new soil research from the University of Manitoba. The satellite, set to launch on January 29,

Steve Kenyon talking about pasture weeds

Forages, Livestock

Steve Kenyon: The weed whisperer

Alberta cattle farmer shares his  tips on successful practices

By Meghan Mast December 10, 2014

When Steve Kenyon speaks to producers about pasture management, he likes to rile up the crowd. “There’s no such thing as weeds,” he said to cattle farmers gathered in the Boissevain community centre last week. “What we call a weed is just a plant that hasn’t learned to grow in rows yet. Or we haven’t

Crops, Did you know?

Conflicting ideologies cloud debate on farm chemicals

Chemical farmers view the notion that organic is more profitable as just plain wrong

By American Marketing Association November 20, 2014

Anti-organic: Why do some farmers resist profitable change? Why do some farmers who use farm chemicals resist a conversion to organic methods even when it can be more profitable? A new study in the Journal of Marketing suggests it may be because making that change feels like switching belief systems. “The ideological map of American

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

Country Crossroads

Prevent frozen septic systems

A few precautions could help stop this problem. Here’s some tips

By NDSU Release October 17, 2014

Every winter, many people have to deal with the frustration of a frozen septic system. Dry soil conditions, very cold air temperatures and a lack of snow cover during an extended period all contribute to the problem, according to Tom Scherer, North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural engineer for water quality and irrigation. “A

man and woman standing in a field with cattle

Crops, Livestock, Local news

New study investigates success of local organic farm

Biology professor from Brandon expects to learn a lot from closed-system operation

By Meghan Mast October 14, 2014

A biology professor from Brandon is going into the field, literally, to study how operators of a small organic farm in southern Manitoba make it work. Terence McGonigle, from Brandon University, became interested in Howpark Farms, a certified organic operation in the Brandon Hills, when he heard the owners Ian and Linda Grossart operate profitably

Daily Network News

USDA predicts more wheat in Australia, smaller crops elsewhere

‘Like gold’: Europe’s barley prices climb as buyers chase supply

Ag in Motion wins business tourism award

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