Soil Health – Page 3 – Field Crop News

Introducing PLATO, the Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool for Ontario

rill erosion on a steeply sloped field

Posted on June 24, 2020 (January 3, 2025) by Jake Munroe

Keeping soil covered and minimizing erosion is a key principle of soil health. Maximizing the efficiency of crop nutrient uptake and minimizing losses are the foundation of 4R Nutrient Stewardship. When combined, these principles form the basis of a new online tool from OMAFRA called PLATO (Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool for Ontario). PLATO is a calculator that you can use to estimate the risk of phosphorus loss on your farm. It’s part of the newly re-vamped AgriSuite and uses your specific soil, crop and nutrient application information to provide a risk rating and options to improve your score. […]

How Ontario farmers are minimizing erosion on their farms

rill erosion on a steeply sloped field

Posted on April 21, 2020 (January 3, 2025) by Jake Munroe

It’s the time of year when you can see the impact of erosion on farm fields across the province. Whether it’s subtle (Figure 1) or obvious (Figure 2), erosion affects soil by reducing fertility, decreasing organic matter and lowering productivity. With National Soil Conservation Week happening from April 19th to 25th, I wanted to highlight […]

To Squat or Not to Squat: How Low can you Go?

Posted on April 3, 2020 (April 1, 2020) by Ian McDonald

Written by Ian McDonald, Crop Innovations Specialist, OMAFRA and Alex Barrie, Soil Management Engineer, OMAFRA The impact of farm equipment causing soil compaction is primarily a function of soil moisture at the time of traffic coupled with the total weight, axle load and tire pressure of the implement. By lowering the tire pressure, we reduce […]

What’s a Worm Worth?

Posted on November 21, 2019 (August 7, 2020) by Sebastian Belliard

The benefits of earthworms in agricultural soils and how to reap them Earthworms are the ecosystem engineers of the soil. In most terrestrial ecosystems they represent the most abundant belowground biomass1, and in the same way beavers create habitat for a host of other species to thrive, earthworms make the soil ecosystem work. They help […]

Keeping Compaction at Bay in 2019!

Posted on June 3, 2019 (December 22, 2021) by Ian McDonald

Published in Ontario Farmer June 4th, 2019. Authors Ian McDonald and Alex Barrie, OMAFRA and Peter Johnson, RealAgriculture It’s hard to put any more adjectives to the frustration of this springs weather. In 2019 “all bets are off” on what is the right thing to do in terms of planting timeliness, and how, when and […]

Unit D34+4: J&M 812X Grain Cart w 1050 Singles + NH T8.380 LSW Singles Row Crop Tractor

Posted on January 17, 2019 (January 17, 2022) by Alex Barrie

Plot Comments Very heavy single axle buggy. Generates high stress as depth. […]

Sustainable Farmland Agreements

strip-tillage

Posted on November 27, 2018 (November 2, 2018) by Adam Hayes

As the harvest season winds down many farmers begin to think about talking to their non-farming land owners about farming the land next year. Non-farming land owners are also preparing for discussions with a familiar grower or with a new one. According to the Farm and Food Care Ontario website over 35% or 4 […]

Spaces to Breathe and Grow

Posted on November 26, 2018 (November 2, 2018) by Sebastian Belliard

We are all aware of the imperative to minimize compaction, but with crop quality on the line, tough choices have to be made on the trade-off between the grain quality and potential income from this year’s crop, and future yield and cost of production due to compaction losses or increased tillage passes. There have […]

OMAFRA Soil Management Event – August 22

Posted on July 23, 2018 (August 1, 2018) by OMAFA Field Crop Team

Join the OMAFRA Soil Team and Upper Thames River Conservation Authority for a hands-on day of learning about soil management on August 22nd. Six in-field sessions will explore a range of topics, including: Soil pits: exploring what’s under our feet Measuring soil health: in-field methods to evaluate soil structure, infiltration, and much more. “Soil your […]

Compaction Know-How

Posted on May 28, 2018 (December 22, 2021) by Ian McDonald

IFAO held a Compaction Action Day in September 2017 at Shawridge Farms at Arthur, Ontario. That event, attended by around 400 people, 16 equipment sponsors and 50 total sponsors, showcased a wide range of equipment and achieved a number of important things: It showed that a lot of people are concerned about compaction It raised […]

Ontario’s Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy Released

Posted on April 25, 2018 (August 18, 2020) by Adam Hayes

Ontario has a new strategy to help ensure the province’s agricultural soils remain healthy and productive for years to come. The Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Working Group worked for over two years to develop and hone the New Horizons: Ontario’s Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy. The working group sought input from experts drawn […]

National Soil Conservation Week – April 15 to 21 2018

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Adam Hayes

National Soil Conservation Week runs from April 15th to 21st, 2018. Soil conservation for many years focused on protecting the soil from wind and water erosion. Today, that is still a focus but the soil is becoming an integral part of the larger environmental picture. Soil conservation is now directly linked with water quality, greenhouse […]

OMAFRA Releases New Horizons: Ontario’s Draft Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy

Posted on November 21, 2017 (November 27, 2017) by Adam Hayes

On November 1st the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs released New Horizons: Ontario’s Draft Agricultural Soil Health and Conservation Strategy for public input. The strategy will serve as a blueprint for Ontario agriculture to protect and improve its soils for years to come. The strategy has four key areas soil management, soil data […]

Soil Compaction: Stay Off the Field Until the Soil is Ready

Posted on May 30, 2017 (May 30, 2017) by James Dyck

It’s now the end of May, so the “perceived optimum” planting date for corn and soybeans has passed. Optimum planting date assumes the soil is “fit” for seeding – if the soil is unfit, the optimum planting date lingers until soil conditions are suitable. The extremely wet weather this spring has left soils saturated and […]

New, free soil health publications available to order!

Posted on May 24, 2017 by OMAFA Field Crop Team

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is rolling out a total of 21 new soil health publications. These publications provide best management practices to help you preserve and conserve soil while improving soil health and crop production. Check out these five new titles on our Soil Health in Ontario web page: […]