Lake Winnipeg algae bloom in 2017.

Is phosphorus management being lost in the fertilizer furor?

While there’s lots of talk about nitrogen, managing phosphorus remains a critical concern

[UPDATED: Nov. 15, 2022] Phosphorus management could fall off the radar as environmental messaging in agriculture increasingly focuses on climate change and nitrogen use. “Appropriate nutrient management for things like phosphorus is tremendously important and needs to remain an ongoing focus,” says Lynda Nicol, Manitoba Association of Watersheds (MAW) executive director. The federal government is

Letters: Time to redefine ‘progress’

I am a first-generation Canadian, born and raised on a Manitoba farm in the 1930s.  I did not take up farming as my livelihood, however I did learn to recognize that farm life can be extremely rewarding in so many different ways.  I also learned to appreciate and realize that water and the environment were


Alum a useful tool to combat toxic algae

Alum a useful tool to combat toxic algae

The chemical has been used in the U.S. to clear lakes of algal blooms but hasn’t seen widespread acceptance in Canada

It’s no magic bullet, but aluminum sulphate can significantly reduce toxic algal blooms in lakes, American scientist John Holz told conservationists at a Winnipeg conference on December 3. “It is a common tool,” said Holz, whose company HAB Aquatic Solutions, has done 104 applications of the product, also called ‘alum,’ in the U.S. Holz spoke

Algal blooms are nothing new on Lake Winnipeg. But what’s causing them is a very complex, multi-jurisdictional problem.

Getting phosphorus out of Lake Winnipeg and onto fields

Manitoba’s agriculture needs and waterways are on opposite sides of the phosphorus debate — or are they?

Lake Winnipeg might be drowning in phosphorus, but plenty of soils in the province are gasping for it. Lake Winnipeg has become infamous for its water quality, and not in a good way. Algal blooms and E. coli cases have become a familiar state of affairs in the south basin, while over half of samples

A map shows the distribution of manure-rich cultivated areas. The green spots demonstrate the areas with the most potential for phosphorus recycling.

Manure map raises recycling hopes

A study shows potential for farmers to reclaim phosphorus fertilizer

A New Jersey university is mapping the world’s manure in an effort to jump-start a movement to recycle phosphorus. In the April 2019 issue of Earth’s Future, a research team from Stevens Institute of Technology mapped the journey of phosphorus from soil to crops, to livestock and humans, and eventually into sewers and landfills. This


After 2017 drought conditions, water quality in some areas may still not be ideal for livestock to drink.

Water woes can hurt cattle

Dry conditions for the past many months could mean trouble in dugouts

Many producers are continuing to feel the effects of the 2017 drought, which are lingering into the 2018 grazing season. Numerous ponds and dugouts dried up as a result of the drought, and any water remaining in others may not be the best quality. “Water quality in ponds and dugouts still may be compromised by

A root wad buffers the bank from erosion and simultaneously provides fish habitat.

Project stabilizes creek bank, enhances fish habitat

Roseilse Creek is home to a state-of-the-art project 
that looks like an all-round winner

A riverbank stabilization project on the Roseilse Creek is demonstrating how to restore, rebuild, rehabilitate and enhance fish habitat and the riparian area along the waterway. The project, which involves the Pembina Valley Conservation District (PVCD), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership program, AAE Tech Services and the Rural Municipality of

A toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie viewed by satellite in 2014.

Agriculture major contributor to Lake Erie algae blooms

Better on-farm management would go a long ways towards solving the problem

There are two easily identifiable solutions to the Lake Erie algae blooms, said an American researcher, but success will require the co-operation of thousands of farmers. Jeffrey Reutter, a researcher at the Lake Erie island-based Ohio State University Stone Lab research station, has seen both the 1970s sewage-driven algae bloom, and the current blooms that


David Lobb, of the University of Manitoba, says flood solutions will include keeping more water on farms, but not necessarily on fields.

On-farm water collection key to drainage management

Other farming practices such as enhancing soil health and better design 
and maintenance of surface drains can also help

Reducing run-off and improving soil health are the best path to address flooding and excess nutrients, according to a University of Manitoba expert on watershed management. These strategies include more collection of surface water before it leaves the farm and adoption of soil management practices that build soil structure and help water infiltrate, says David

Once a lake enters an ecological crisis, it can be impossible to rehabilitate it.

Tipping points could predict the future of lakes

Dutch researchers say keeping a closer eye on key indicators could give water managers a fighting chance at avoiding catastrophe

A group of Dutch scientists has been trying to predict when lakes will enter ecological crises by monitoring key tipping points. Researcher Alena Gsell, of the Netherlands Institute of Technology, says the term ‘tipping point’ has become popular to describe sudden and fundamental changes that take place even though exterior conditions haven’t changed as radically.