Soil structure is a key indicator of soil health. The Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure (VESS) provides a simple framework for quantitatively scoring soil structure quality. It requires only a shovel for extracting a block of soil and a scoring sheet for evaluating it and can be performed in about 10 minutes with a little […]
On-off grazing is a management technique to minimize damage while grazing wet pastures. It is an alternative to using a sacrifice paddock. Livestock do the least amount of pugging damage to a field when they are actively grazing. It is other activities, such as visiting the water trough or mineral source, lying down, or socializing […]
Pugging is sod damage and soil compaction caused by livestock hooves. Prevent pugging by moving livestock to a barn, dry lot, or sacrifice paddock. Assess the severity of pugging to determine the most appropriate repair options. Timely repairs maintain pasture yield and keep weeds out. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]