Seedbed

Once you see wind erosion occurring, it is generally too late to do anything about it. Prevention is easier, cheaper and more effective, so you should be planning ahead if your soil is susceptible to erosion

by KEITH REID

I recently watched a documentary on the Dust Bowl, which described the severe drought and wind erosion that affected Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas during the “Dirty Thirties.” The images of the “dusters” were compelling, as were the pictures of the human misery they caused.

Some nutrients are more mobile than others, so no ‘one-size-fits-all’ system will work. A checklist of the best and worst options for nutrient placement on your farm

by KEITH REID

The fourth “R” in the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship is getting nutrients in the Right Place. After all, if a plant can’t reach nutrients when it needs them, the right form, time or rate won’t matter.

There are economic and environmental consequences of applying either too much or too little nutrient. The answer will depend on your focus as much as on the cropping system on your farm

by KEITH REID

In my last column, I wrote about choosing the right source and right time for nutrient applications. This month, I am going to tackle the most difficult of the “4Rs” for many farmers – choosing the right rate of nutrients to apply.

Applying the Right nutrient source at the Right rate, Right time and Right place will ensure the nutrients needed for optimum growth are available to plants when and where they are needed

by KEITH REID

If you have read about fertilizer in any of the farm papers, you may have seen reference to the 4-R Nutrient Stewardship Initiative. This industry-led initiative encourages farmers to use nutrients properly by following the 4-Rs – apply the Right nutrient source at the Right rate, Right time and Right place.

Adding biochar to tropical soils has been shown to have significant benefits for crop production, but the yield benefits with our soil and climate are small or non-existent

by KEITH REID

It was four years ago when I first wrote about biochar in this column. At that time, there was much hype, but little work had been done on the product in soils and climates relevant to Ontario.  How much have we learned since then?

For the most part the dry weather in 2012 should not affect your fertilizer program for 2013, except for a few cases involving phosphorus and potassium

by KEITH REID

This summer, many parts of Ontario had extended periods of dry weather, which adversely affected crop yields. This led to questions about whether fertilizer programs should change next year. The answer, as with most things agronomic, is that “it depends . . .”  

For the first time, analyses of plant samples from a number of alfalfa fields have been showing low sulphur levels. Is this an anomaly or the new normal?

by KEITH REID

Those who have followed my writings for the past couple of decades know that my message regarding sulphur has been pretty consistent:  “All of Ontario, except the far northwest, gets enough sulphur from air pollution, so we don’t need to add any sulphur fertilizer.”

With most farms hurting, this is a good time to reflect on what happened and how to avoid it in the future

by KEITH REID

By the time you read this, the cropping season of 2012 will be pretty much done except for assessing the drought damages.  As I write in late July, however, the corn is just tasselling and the soybeans are flowering while we are in the middle of record-breaking heat and dryness with no sign of significant relief in the long-range forecast.

The answer is ‘yes,’ but there is no compelling reason to include them in a fertilizer program for crops grown in Ontario

by KEITH REID

The health of your soil can affect the way it responds to too much water, dryness or heat

by KEITH REID

It’s often said that weather is the biggest factor in setting the yield for a crop. This is true as far as it goes, but it ignores how much the health of the soil can affect the way the crop responds to the weather.