Better Farming - January 2017

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46 Like Us on Facebook: BetterFarmingON Better Farming January 2017
CROPS: YIELDMATTER$
water. In most winter months, the
area receives less than 0.7 of an inch
of rain and the summer months
rarely exceed 0.3 inches of rainfall.
Farmers grow vegetables, forages,
wheat, sorghum and corn under
irrigation.
Smart irrigation is used; residents
apply water in the right amounts at
the right time. Any leaks in the
irrigation system are fixed immedi-
ately. Residents consider water to be
liquid gold. The landscaping is void
of grass; lawns are irrigated properly
or artificial. Residents make every
effort to maximize the efficient use of
water.
Contrast this picture to Ontario,
where you see certain businesses with
irrigation on timers running while it’s
raining and the water is running
down the sidewalk into the gutter. We
waste so much water!
We can learn a great deal about
managing water from areas that have
water challenges.
Climate change is complicated
because it may well offer either
scarcity or abundance of rainfall at
any time. What can we do to stretch
the water supply when it’s dry? How
can we handle the water when too
much arrives from intense events?
These situations are cases when
soil health initiatives, best manage-
ment practices and the resulting
resiliency come in with all of their
component parts. The collective and
compounding benefits of crop
rotation, reduced tillage, residue
management, tile systems, cover
crops, compost, manures, balanced
fertility, and the right seed genetics
are all important ingredients in
offering a solution to extreme weath-
er events. It will take a multitude of
options to improve soil structure,
optimize water holding capacity,
maximize infiltration rates, and
reduce runoff.
If we can increase soil organic
matter by 1 per cent, soil will hold
another inch of water per acre. As a
matter of fact, if all agricultural soils
worldwide could hold another inch of
water, we could hold 100 trillion
gallons of water for crop production.
That is eight times the amount of water
in every lake and river worldwide.
We will never keep all the water
that falls on our farmland, nor should
we. There is a hydrological cycle at
work to recharge natural systems.
However, we can influence the
amount of water that does leave and
we can control what’s in it. We have a
lot of technology we can use for this
purpose and the science is emerging
to help us understand how to do a
better job. Perhaps we need a new
measurement for success. Something
like “more crop per drop” or econom-
ic incentives that require more
productivity per litre of water extract-
ed by various industries.
I know it is not an “either or”
scenario when it comes to protecting
water. We all need to find a way for
industry, agriculture, public and
recreational users of water to harmo-
nize and work together.
Eric McNulty says in a VUCA
world you need VUCA management.
We need to have a vision, seek
understanding, look for clarity, and
be agile. Each field on a farm, every
factory, and every municipality will
have its own unique characteristics
and will need a unique solution.
Therefore, no single unified solution
will ever work to protect water. The
solutions will be as much about
societal behaviour and attitudes as
they will be about science. We need
everyone working on a VUCA
approach.
Our bodies are made up of 90 per
cent water. We need to spend more
than 2 per cent of our time talking
about it. BF
Dale Cowan, CCA-ON, 4R NMS, is a
senior agronomist with AGRIS Co-op-
erative Ltd. and Wanstead Farmers
Co-operative Ltd.
If we can increase soil organic matter by 1 per cent,
soil will hold another inch of water per acre.
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