Co-Authored with Shane McClure and Middlesex Soil and Crop Improvement Association Purpose: Adequate soil phosphorus (P) and potash (K) levels are essential to produce high yielding crops. With high fertilizer prices it is important to use the fertilizer as efficiently as possible. Using starter fertilizer can be an effective way to apply fertilizer but what […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Switchgrass is suited to most soil types. Yields are lower on extremely heavy or light soils Soil pH: 6.0–6.8 Recommended Rotational Crops: Switchgrass is a long-term perennial crop and rotation crops do not apply. Cereal crops may serve as nurse crops during establishment Minimum Soil Temperature: 10°C Optimum Air Temperature: 24°C–29°C […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Sunflowers are suited to most soil types. Yields are lower on poorly drained or very light soils Soil pH: 6.0–7.5 Recommended Rotational Crops: Corn, cereal crops Should Not Rotate With: Soybeans, dry edible beans, canola, camelina and buckwheat Minimum Soil Temperature: 6°C Optimum Air Temperature: 25°C–28°C Earliest Planting Date: Early May […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Sandy and loam soils. Soils prone to crusting may drastically reduce germination Soil pH: 4.8–8.5 Recommended Rotational Crops: Corn, cereal crops Minimum Soil Temperature: 5°C–10°C Optimum Air Temperature: Prefers a temperate to semi-arid climate. Temperatures above 35°C may cause plant dormancy or pollen sterility Earliest Planting Date: Plant early, similar to […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Miscanthus is suited to most soil types. Yields are lower on extremely heavy or light soils Soil pH: 5.4–6.8 Recommended Rotational Crops: Miscanthus is a long-term perennial and crop rotations do not apply. Wheat or other cereals may act as a nurse crop during establishment Minimum Soil Temperature: 4°C for planting […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Well-drained soils, light to medium textured soils Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline soils Preferred Rotational Crops: Cereals Should Not Rotate With: Canola, dry edible beans, soybeans, sunflowers or buckwheat Minimum Soil Temperature: Has been broadcast onto frozen ground in early December under no-till conditions Optimum Air Temperature: 20°C–25°C Earliest Planting Date: […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Prefers well drained soils. Reduced yields on extremely heavy or light textured soil types Soil pH: 6.0–7.5 Recommended Rotational Crops: 4-year rotation with cereals or corn Should not plant after: canola, edible beans, soybeans, buckwheat or sunflowers Minimum Soil Temperature: 4°C–6°C (seedlings are sensitive to frost) Optimum Air Temperature: 25°C–28°C Earliest […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Well-drained loam, silt loam or clay loam soils are preferred Soil pH: >5.6 Preferred Rotational Crops: Corn, cereal crops Minimum Soil Temperature: 3°C Optimum Air Temperature: 10°C–27°C Earliest Planting Date: Early to late April Required Growing Season: 90–115 days Flax is a versatile crop that has been an ingredient in oil-based […]
Production Requirements Soil Types: Prefers light to medium textured soils, but will grow in all soil types Soil pH: 5.4–7.0 Preferred Rotational Crops: Corn, cereal crops Should Not Rotate With: Soybeans, edible beans, canola or sunflower Minimum Soil Temperature: 7°C Optimum Air Temperature: 12°C–25°C Earliest Planting Date: After the risk of frost has past Required […]
Resilient crop yields can be maximized by improving soil health, which is enhanced with cover crops. Long-term advocates have found that adding cover crops to their rotation adds a critical amount of additional carbon to the soil. Cover crops should be considered as part of the overall crop rotation, and especially on soils with lower […]
The success of a crop is generally evaluated on economic yield, where inputs and fixed costs are subtracted from gross profit. Most of the time the crop is evaluated on a per year basis and the decision as to which crop to grow includes market demand as part of the decision-making process. A more sustainable […]
Crop rotation is an integral part of the crop production system. A well-planned crop rotation will: The basic rule of crop rotation is that a crop should never follow itself. Continuous cropping of any crop will increase the buildup of diseases and insects specific to that crop and will potentially result in heavier infestations and […]
Soil health is described as the soil’s capacity to support crop growth without becoming degraded or otherwise harming the environment. Physical, chemical and biological indicators can help determine relative soil health. Physical indicators include aggregate stability, available water holding capacity, soil structure and soil compaction. Chemical indicators include soil pH, and soil nutrient content. Biological […]
Agricultural systems that integrate crops and livestock offer benefits for sustainability, resilience, and economic diversity. Beyond the influences on ecological processes and soil microbial communities, the opportunity to utilize manure, crop residues (i.e. wheat straw for bedding), and crop rotations around feed production contribute to a more nutritious livestock feed production and promotes environmental stability […]
Integrated pest management (IPM) is an approach to weed, insect and disease management that uses all available control strategies to manage pest populations, keeping them below economic thresholds. This results in a cropping system that is more resilient to failures since it does not exclusively rely on the use of pesticides to control pests. For […]