Seedbed

Soil erosion can be damaging to your fields and the environment. Planting windbreaks and keeping crop residue or cover crops on the surface can help defeat it

by KEITH REID

We have all seen the photos of the dust clouds and drifts of blown soil from the “Dirty Thirties,” and that is often what comes to mind when we think of wind erosion. 

Unfortunately, thinking of wind erosion only in terms of extreme events means that we ignore the more subtle and more common losses of soil that occur every year.

The answer depends on what factors led to the high yields and whether you are talking short or long term

by KEITH REID

Farmers in Ontario grew record or near-record harvests of corn, soybeans and wheat in 2010, and many farmers had higher yields than they had ever achieved before. This has led many to ask whether we should be using higher rates of fertilizer.

A hazy understanding of cation exchange capacity can lead to management decisions that are not necessarily good economics or agronomics

by KEITH REID

Cation exchange capacity, more commonly referred to as CEC, is one of those basic soil properties that is poorly understood by most non-soil scientists. This may mean that CEC is ignored as a factor in soil management. Too often, this lack of knowledge leads to some very strange and expensive decisions regarding fertilizer applications.

Too much or the wrong kind of tillage can damage your soil. Some tips on retaining its benefits while avoiding its negatives

by KEITH REID

Most crop fields in Ontario are tilled at some point during the rotation. If you ask the average farmer why, you may get an answer about improving crop yields but few details beyond that. Tillage is simply a deeply ingrained habit.

Unfortunately, too much or the wrong kind of tillage leads to a number of undesirable outcomes:

Increased soil erosion by wind or water;

Agriculture without fertilizer is already a reality in many developing countries. 
What would it be like if it happened here?

by KEITH REID

Some of you may watched the various programs on television based on “what if” scenarios of various calamities and the dire outcomes from these. Most of these programs are pretty far-fetched, but it did spark a thought in my mind about just what would happen if suddenly there were no mineral fertilizers available for agriculture.

Maintaining the long-term productivity of the soil means adding management activities 
that may have little, if any, short-term economic advantage


by KEITH REID

Managing a farm, like any business, is always a balance between generating enough cash to pay the bills in the short term, and investing in building the long-term value of your business. Problems arise when this balance gets skewed one way or the other.

Many fields that showed N deficiency suffered little, if any, yield loss. Those that did – and had yellow, stunted leaves – were few in number


by KEITH REID

Drowning in data at harvest time? Here are some approaches that will help you 
make sense of the masses of numbers and find the biggest potential for yield increases


by KEITH REID

With more and more combines in the field having yield monitors, I get the sense that many farmers feel they are “drowning in data” at harvest time.

The mouldboard plow, smooth roller and subsoiler all have their uses in specific situations. But they can also cause soil damage if used inappropriately

by Keith Reid

As I am writing this, the spring seeding is just finishing up, so the cumulative impact of all the various tillage implements is obvious across the landscape.

Being aware of the relationship between these two elements can help you better manage your soil, whether you are using organic or mineral sources of nutrients.

by KEITH REID