22 Follow us on @PrairieFarming Better Farming | January 2025 reduced water footprint with those deeper and shallower rooted crops together in rotation.” Avoiding moisture loss to evaporation can also help farmers who are concerned about their soil moisture retention in the soil profile. “We want the water that comes down as rainfall or from snowmelt to enter the soil rather than run off the surface into depressions,” explains Schoenau. “That can cause erosion, nutrient transport off-site, and flooding. Infiltration is important to get water into the soil and keep it in the field.” He recommends using crops that add residue coverage to the soil surface and create root channels to aid in water filtration. Leaving standing stubble in the field also helps capture snow, reduce evaporation, and conserve that moisture. Ammeter reminds producers that improving water-holding capacity is a long process. “There are practices that can increase the amount of water available in the soil in the short term, like maintaining crop residue to catch snowfall and decrease evaporation, but increasing soil water-holding capacity is really a long-term game.” Working with current conditions Since increasing capacity is a slow process, producers strive to do their best with the water they already have stored in the soil and will receive precipitation during the growing season. It is good to have an idea of what their soil’s capacity is and know how to manage it accordingly. “Look at your soil profile,” says Schoenau. Take a core and look at what it’s made of for organic matter and clay content and how that composition changes with depth. It will give you an idea of what you have for available water for your crop. A foot of moist soil that is high in clay and organic matter will contain more available water for the crop than a foot of moist sandy, low organic matter soil. Determine how many feet of moist soil you have to help tell you how much stored soil moisture you have.” He notes that while investigating their soils, producers may find other conditions that could limit water infiltration, water-holding capacity, and usage in their crops. “Gravel lens, saline and hardpan layers can restrict root growth, as shown in our recent research work. This reduces water utilization from the soil,” says Schoenau. His soil fertility research has also suggested that it is valuable for producers to have an idea of their expected growing season precipitation along with stored soil moisture and soil water-holding capacity to create an appropriate fertility plan. “For the most accurate fertilizer recommendations, knowing the available moisture you have stored in your soil profile at the start of the season is important,” says Schoenau. “The amount of water you can have stored in your soil profile, along with growing-season precipitation, drives crop yield and nutrient demand. It gives you a better idea of your yield potential and how much fertilizer you need to apply to meet that crop’s nutrient demand. “Fertilization with nutrients like phosphorus can also promote early root growth and efficient soil water use early in the season.” Producers who know their soil and its capacity for holding water and soil water status will have more information to determine relationships between moisture and their crop’s yield potential, and the need for added fertilizer to optimize the yield and water use efficiency. Moisture is an annual concern for many producers, and while long-term efforts can continue to improve soil water-holding capacity and potentially ease those concerns, collecting data on current soil moisture can help producers manage their land in its current state. BF Leaving crop stubble helps capture precipitation and snow melt. NSMediaPhoto - stock.adobe.com INCREASING WATER-HOLDING CAPACITY EMILY MCKINLAY Emily lives on a beef farm, raising Red Angus and Simmental cattle. She holds a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences, with a focus on ruminant nutrition.
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