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Agriculture This Week: Transforming ag: The search for new crops

Agriculture, like most business sectors, spends a fair amount of resources, both cash and time, seeking what might be the next big thing.

It’s not an easy find in terms of crops for Canadian Prairie Producers.

There are a number of core obstacles to overcome, starting with of course the growing conditions here.

Producers might well wish to add field corn or soybeans to their rotations, but conditions here are not optimum for growing either crop.

So what has to take place is considerable effort in terms of plant breeding trying to create varieties that will produce under conditions here to a level where they are not just profitable in terms of the input of the crop itself, but competitive with long term crops already grown.

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Trending Video

Supplemental Nitrogen on Soybeans: Can Early Nitrogen Increase Yield?

Video: Supplemental Nitrogen on Soybeans: Can Early Nitrogen Increase Yield?

Can supplemental nitrogen help soybeans reach higher yield potential? Technical Agronomist Tim Sickman walks through an ongoing trial at the Nutrien Innovation Farm in Owensboro, Kentucky, exploring whether a modest amount of nitrogen applied at planting can support higher-yielding soybean environments.

The trial compares 30 pounds of supplemental nitrogen across both 15- and 30-inch rows, along with treatments that include sulfur and micronutrients. Similar trials conducted in 2024 and 2025 delivered a six- to seven-bushel yield response, prompting the team to expand the research this season.

Early observations show that treated soybeans are slightly taller and averaging about two additional nodes on the main stem. These added nodes could create more opportunities for blooms and pods, but the true results will come at harvest when the team evaluates pod development, seed fill and final yield.

In This Video:

Why high-yield soybeans may need supplemental nitrogen

Results from the 2024 and 2025 trials

Nitrogen treatments in 15- and 30-inch rows

Fertilizer placement and application methods

Differences in plant height and node counts

Potential effects on pod development and yield